Prior to the digital revolution, centralizing population and housing data collected on paper was a cumbersome and time-consuming process. Data extraction could take months, hindering its use by government agencies like the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Education. Today, information and communication technologies have transformed this landscape.

On Tuesday, December 12, President Yoweri Museveni officially unveiled the country's 11th National Population and Housing Census (NPHC), set to unfold in May 2024. This time, the census will be completely digital. No more bulky paper registers. Everything will be done using connected digital tablets.

According to the Executive Director of the Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS), Chris Ndatira Mukiza, digitization will not only minimize errors associated with paper-based data entry in previous years, but will also shorten the publication date of the final data. The first results are expected in the second quarter of the year.

"So this will be the record time because we have been taking 2-3 years to reach the final product. But now because of electronic devices, we have cut so many steps," explained Mukiza.

To carry out the NPHC, the government will finance over 91% of the activities, i.e. 320.9 billion shillings (around $84.6 million). In addition to financial resources, the government will also deploy enumerators to households. They will be provided with digital tablets for the census.

In February 2023, 20 computers and digital accessories were handed over to the Bureau of Statistics to ensure that the process runs smoothly.

This census is the sixth to be carried out post-independence, the first digital, and the third conducted by UBOS. It is part of the 2030 Development Agenda, the 2063 Agenda for Africa, Uganda's Vision 2040, and the 4th Development Plan (NDPIV) that the government is about to launch.

Samira Njoya