Background:
According to the United Nations Principles and Recommendations1, Population and Housing Censuses are the most important instrument for collecting population and housing data in a country as they provide at regular intervals, normally every 10 years, information that allows the enumeration of the population in the whole territory and is the only source of information for certain social, demographic, and economic characteristics at the level of small geographic areas or subpopulations. Census data are the backbone of the national statistical system and provide the basis for the development of sampling frames for household surveys.
The population and housing census is among the largest and most comprehensive exercises a nation can undertake in peacetime. The population and housing census is considered a highly complex and demanding operation, because of the time it takes to plan and fully implement; because of the magnitude and need to guarantee the high financial resources required during a period that normally exceeds the term of governments; because of the number of human resources that must be mobilized in a short period of time, especially in the enumeration stage; because of the interdependence and synergy between each of its activities; because of the need for flexibility to adapt to changing conditions, emerging risks, and demands during the period of about 5 years that its planning lasts. Also, it requires a good attitude on the part of the population to accept being visited and interviewed, in the context of increasing citizen insecurity in many countries.
The early stages of planning determine the strategic direction of the entire census programme, ensure a common understanding of the requirements for conducting a quality census, and provide an understanding of the integral role that the census plays in the overall national statistical framework of the country Good census planning is a fundamental condition necessary to ensure that the results have the key characteristics required of a census: complete coverage, quality data, and timeliness.
Mozambique has realized four Population and Housing Census (PHC) between 1980 and 2017 with intervals of 10 years for the 2017, 2007, and 1997 Censuses. Mozambique plans to conduct a digital-based Population and Housing Census in 2027. The 4th General Population and Housing Census were completed in August 2017 and the results were officially released at the end of April 2019, eight months later than previously planned due to data processing delays. The 2017 Census results revealed that the population of Mozambique had more than doubled between the first census in 1980 and the latest one in 2017. Based on the Post Enumeration Survey (PES) the undercount in 2017 was 3.7% which, when compared to international standards, is regarded as low. We can infer that the census produced accurate results at both national and subnational (provincial and districts) levels.
Purpose of Consultancy:
Beyond the enormous amount of new information being generated, the national population and housing censuses remain the backbone of the national statistical system, as their data are key to meeting the growing needs of a population that increasingly requires timely, quality data of broad coverage and disaggregation that can serve as the basis for analyzing and locating other variables.
All the past four Censuses were paper-based. This technology presented a big challenge when it came to data processing and integrity. In the cartography mapping of the 2017 PHC, Mozambique employed a GIS technology by which all the households and the respective social infrastructures were geo-tagged across the country. The GIS-enabled Mozambique to create a database compatible with digital-based CAPI (an English abbreviation standing for Computer Assisted Personal Interviews) surveys.
Since 2017, Mozambique has conducted all major surveys based on CAPI. Some of the major national surveys that have been CAPI based are The Demographic and Housing Survey (DHS) in 2022 and The Family Budget Surveys in 2019/20 and 2022-23. With this solid experience, Mozambique has taken a decision to conduct the 2027 PHC by employing CAP for a digital Census.
Whereas the National Statistical Institute (INE), the State Organ mandated to conduct PHC, has a wealth of accumulated experience in conducting Censuses, its experience is limited to conducting paper-based Census (manual). The 2027 MPHC would be the first experience INE would be having of undertaking such an exercise.
A clear Master Plan for the conducting of a digital Census in 2027 needs to be developed, approved, and implemented. This Master Plan would provide INE with a clear framework.
The overall objective of the census is to plan, collect, process, analyse, and disseminate high-quality data by ensuring the full participation of all stakeholders and effective and efficient counting of every person in the country through the establishment of a culture of continuous evaluation and improvement.
We are no longer accepting applications for this position.
