Local News

PM stresses cooperation in population census

Prime Minister Mizengo Pinda, opens the training of trainers course for the Population and Housing Census 2012 in Dodoma on Saturday. The census will be carried out on August 26, this year. (Photo by PMO)

The Prime Minister, Mr Mizengo Pinda on Saturday appealed to the public to cooperate with population census clerks by providing them with relevant information.

The premier said this here when opening the national training for 2012 population census instructors. He said there was no way of attaining development without gathering relevant statistics about the population, thus making the exercise useful. The exercise, scheduled for August 26, this year, is one of the major government priority plans meant to help it achieve its development plans.

“We expect the exercise will go on smoothly, as we are fully prepared, but above all people’s positive response is of high significance. With relevant and adequate statistics the government development plans can be achieved satisfactorily,” the premier said.

On the other hand, Premier Pinda appealed to politicians across political spectrum, religious leaders and all government officers at all levels to provide education to the  people country-wide so that the general public understood the census' importance to the national development.

He noted that such leaders were highly respected in the society and can help in mobilization, as through them it would be easy to win public trust and support. Mr Pinda's appeal to religious leaders is geared towards mobilising them to support census, comes few days after section of the Muslim Council of Tanzania (BAKWATA) declared that it was backing the Sheikhs’ move in sensitizing their followers to boycott the national census in August. 

He also cleared the air on the notion that census population would result into inconveniences in the daily production activities, insisting that the clerks would go around people’s homes all the time for about seven days. Earlier, the Finance Minister Dr William Mgimwa said that all population censuses were important, but this time around it is more important and useful.

He said that the statistics obtained from the exercise would be used in evaluating and monitoring various economic strategies set by the government.

According to Minister Mgimwa, the statistics would be used in assessing the National Vision 2025, National Poverty Eradication Strategies in Tanzania Mainland and  the national growth and poverty alleviation strategies for Tanzania mainland and Zanzibar (MKUKUTA and MKUZA respectively), 2015 Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and Five Year Development Plan (2011/2012-2015/2016).

The training brought together over 150 participants from various ministries and departments including disabled representatives.
This year’s national population census will be the fifth to be conducted in the United Republic of Tanzania. Others were conducted in 1967, 1978, 1988 and 2002.