By Arret Jatta
The Gambia Bureau of Statistics (GBoS) is conducting ten-day training for trainers ahead of the 2024 population and housing census data collection at the Paradise Suite Hotel starting from Tuesday, 16 April.
It is said that those trained in the exercise will be deployed to conduct a step down training of enumerators that will do the data collection.
Sering Fallou Njie, the chairperson of the National Statistic Council says censuses are not easy because they require a lot of preparation, resources and time.
“Many countries we know in Africa are not able to keep up with the time frame of doing census every ten years but the Gambia we are one of those very few countries that have been able to conduct the census every ten year of course this year being an exception we are one year late,” he stated.
He urged trainers to be sensitive with people especially with disable persons, “let us not assume that people will readily tell us that yes there is a disabled person in my house, we know people will not like to talk about it and hope the trainers will take this into consideration and use better strategies to deal with it likewise with the census questioning, we know traditionallya lot of people like to count or talk about their children”.
“We need to ensure that everybody in this country is convinced of what we are doing and see the need for him or her to participate effectively and give us the data that we need”, he further said.
Mr Nyakasi Sanyang the Statistician General of GBOS also said that this training would be followed by two training which are the regional level training of trainers and the training of field workers.
“This training includes the administrative of the census questionnaire, understanding the concepts and definitions, stimulation exercise is through the conduct of mock interviews in various local languages and the use of the capi”, he explained.
He encourages trainees to nurture this trust by performing beyond expectation, “as I always emphasize, we will not compromise with anything that threatens the integrity of Gambia Bureau of Statistics”.
Lamin Camara who was there on behalf of representative of UNFPA Gambia said data collected through the census will serve as a vital foundation for informed decision-making, resource allocation, and a comprehensive understanding of our country’s demographic landscape.
“It is through this invaluable information that we can address the needs of our citizens effectively, foster inclusive development, and build a brighter future for all”.
He added that the trainers are the ones who will equip the enumerators with the knowledge, skills, and mindset necessary to carry out the census operation successfully.
“Your dedication and commitment to this task will directly impact the quality and accuracy of the data collected”, he told trainers.
