THE Minister for Finance, Dr Mwigulu Nchemba has said that Tanzania will get the value of investment capital if the census results will be used to plan, implement and evaluate policies and development programmes that will take into account the actual population.
Dr Nchemba made the remarks in his speech read on his behalf by the Deputy Permanent Secretary from the Ministry of Finance, Jenifa Omolo during the opening of a training on the use of the 2022 population and housing census results to members of the Tanzania Statistician Association (TASTA).
Dr Mwigulu said that the value of the investment can be realised if the results of the census are used for the intended purpose.
“The government’s goal to conduct the 2022 Population and Housing census was to obtain data that will be used in making decisions regarding development policies and plans as well as monitoring and evaluating their implementation,” he said.
Dr Mwigulu also urged stakeholders and citizens to use the population and housing census results in planning various programmes that will enable them to achieve development for individuals and the nation at large.
“If citizens and stakeholders will be part of the process of using these results in planning, we will be able to get the value of the money provided by the government,” he said.
The Deputy Permanent Secretary said that the use of census results is a collaborative issue like other statistical activities and urged the media in the country to continue participating, educating and encouraging the use of census results for the intended purposes.
Ms Omolo said that the training is very important because participants have come from regional, district and council secretariats where they participate in making decisions on government activities and development projects in their areas as well as monitoring and evaluating their implementation.
She asked the participants to pay attention to the fact that it builds their capacity and increase their experience in the use of accurate census data, thus increasing efficiency and productivity in the implementation of their daily duties.
“This training is part of implementation of the guidelines as explained by the Government Statistician General in formulating and revitalising various development policies, plans and programmes,” she said.
On her part, the Government’s Statistician General, Dr Albina Chuwa said that TASTA has met for the first time since its creation in 1991 with the aim of ensuring that statistics will be used to bring development to the nation.
“To ensure that we attain the goal, the National Bureau of Statistics Office (NBS) is also in the process of ensuring that it gets a Board of Trustees that will support the implementation of these goals,” Dr Chuwa said.
On his part, the Zanzibar Statistician General, Salumu Ally said that the development plan for the 2024/25 is going to create statisticians, asking participants of the training to focus on training.
“After this training, you should share with others the use of the census results because there has been a procedure for conducting the census and then we put it in the books and the results are left and lost there.”
