MONROVIA – The House of Representatives is reviewing a joint resolution forwarded to it by the Liberian Senate calling for Liberia’s overdue National Population and Housing Census to finally be conducted this year.

There have been never-ending disagreements over the dates for the conduct of the census. The Executive had proposed several dates before the Senate adopted a resolution to conduct the census in March 2023, though the House fail to act on it before taking its legislative break.

However, the President, invoking his constitutional power, recalled the legislators from their break to act on several legislative instruments including an approval for the conduct of the national census this year.

The draft resolution, as forwarded to the House, called for the conduct of the census immediately owing to its critical importance in providing the much needed data for the nation’s national socio-economic and development goals (SDFGs) and the African Union’s Agenda 2063 as well as improving the knowledge of the social, demographic and economic characteristics of the country’s population.

Excerpt: “That upon the passage of the resolution #001/2022, the Executive Branch of the Government shall proceed to make the necessary preparations for the conduct of the National Census from October 24 to November 7, 2022.”

“That the Executive Branch of Government of the Republic is hereby authorized to immediately proceed with all activities leading to the conduct of the national census upon passage of this joint resolution #001/2022.”

Following the reading of the resolution, the House voted to authorize its Committee on Good Governance to review and report within a week.

Millions at stake

The latest development on Capitol Hill comes as Liberia’s donor partners have warned that the country stands to lose US$US$8.8 million if the census is not conducted this year.

In a leaked communication to President George Weah by the donors including Sweden, Irish Aid, the World Bank, ECOWAS and the United Nations, warned that “If the census is postponed to March 2023, the obligatory payments to census staff would be US$695,500. If the census is conducted in November 2022, staff costs would be significantly reduced to US$139,100, and if conducted in December 2022, the cost would be USS278,200.”

Continuing, they said: “Also, the Government of Ghana loaned Liberia 21,000 electronic data collection tablets and accessories, which are to be returned at the end of October 2022,” the letter said. “If the census is not conducted in October, Liberia would have to purchase its own electronic tablets at US$5,355,000. The delay associated with the long procurement lead time would also constrain census implementation.” 

The Committee’s letter also warned that financial commitments by donors may not be fulfilled if the census is not conducted in October and the balance of US$759,255 will not be disbursed as the agreement on the Census project ends in December 2022.

‘LISGIS Is Prepared’

Meanwhile the authorities at the Liberia Institute of Statistics and Geo Information Services (LISGIS) has assured the Government and the public that it is capable and prepared to conduct Liberia’s 5^th and first digitized National Population and Housing Census (NPHC).

At a one-day stakeholder engagement conference in Monrovia recently, LISGIS and its major partners including the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) said all is set for the conduct of the census this October as logistics and manpower are being put in place.

At the conference, LISGIS Acting Director General, Wilmot F. Smith said, the entity has made numerous achievements towards holding the NPHC this year, noting that all is ready for the actual counting of Liberians.

 “LISGIS is prepared and ready to conduct the census. There are substantial financial resources for the conduct of the census,” he said.

He furthered that other materials including raincoats, life jackets, and rain gears amongst other things needed for the conduct of the census are also being procured. On top of all these are the 21,000 electronic gadgets borrowed from Ghana that will ensure the entire process is digitized, for the first time in Liberia’s history.

Smith stressed the importance of the census towards Liberia’s development drive and added that LISGIS is now waiting on the Legislature to set the date for the commencement of the NPHC in 2022.

He told stakeholders at the conference that the geographical mapping of the country has been concluded while logistics are available for the census project. In addition, he revealed that currently, a trainer of trainers’ workshop is ongoing at LISGIS with a hope that those trained will take up assignments in various districts across the country. He then used the occasion to call on Liberians of all walks of life to join LISGIS in creating awareness on the importance of the census.

“Liberians must act as ambassadors during this year’s census,” he urged.

Continued violation of Liberia’s Constitution

While Liberia’s key development partners including bilateral and multilateral institutions continue to express disappointment over the Government’s failure to conduct the census, the Legislature, clothed with the constitutional mandate of making the law, has come under staunch criticism as well for blatantly violating the organic law of the land.

Article 39 of the Constitution states: “The Legislature shall cause a census of the Republic to be undertaken every ten years…”

This census which continues to be deliberately delayed by the Legislature should have been held in 2018, counting from the last NPHC held in 2008.

Historically, Liberia has been lackadaisical in holding census. It took 24 years before the last census was conducted in 2008; something that was largely blamed on the 14-year long devastating civil war.

Now, that it is peace time, and given that it is almost 14 years since the last census was held, many including Liberia’s development partners had expected that the country would do all to live within the constitutional timeframe to update its population data to be better be informed in its development drive.

As warned by the donors, “The Census is a legacy project for the Government of Liberia and its conduct will be a significant achievement for the citizens of Liberia. If conducted in October 2022, the census will be a milestone for Liberia to celebrate as it would: a) provide the much-needed reliable data for development planning, b) enable measurement of progress on national development, and c) inform the world in November 2022 of Liberia’s contribution to the global population of eight billion.”

MONROVIA – Liberia’s international partners have written to President George Manneh Weah on holding the 2022 National Housing and Population Census planned by the Liberia Institute of Statistics & Geo-Information Services (LISGIS).

By Danesius Marteh, archie2024@gmail.com

They believe Liberia’s fifth census since 1964 and the first digital census must be held in October to provide important information for development planning.

On behalf of the partners, which include ECOWAS and the United Nations, UN Resident Coordinator Niels Scott outlined gains made by the steering committee despite significant delays caused by Covid-19 and other unforeseen reasons.

The partners have presented a vote of confidence on LISGIS’ ability and technical knowhow to conduct the census.

“Logistical equipment and supplies have been procured and enumeration staff are in place. Substantial financial resources to conduct the census are available,” said Scott in a 25 July letter co-signed by Finance & Development Planning Minister Samuel D. Tweah, Jr., who chairs LISGIS board.

“LISGIS have completed the geographical mapping and a pilot census (pre-test census), which has informed the preparation for the actual census. 21,000 tablets and 21,000 power banks have been secured from Ghana through a south-south cooperation with Liberia.”

Financial implication of postponement  

The Senate, after a lengthy plenary discussion on 16 June, moved the census to March 18-30, 2023 pending a concurrence by the House of Representatives although LISGIS had proposed 16-28 October.

The partners have advised President Weah about the financial implications and ramifications of that decision based on a steering committee meeting held on 4 July.  

If the census is postponed to March, they argued, the obligatory payments to census staff will be US$695,500, which will significantly reduce to US$139,100 if the census is conducted in November and US$278,200 if it is conducted in December.  

The postponement will also affect the loan agreement between Liberia and

Ghana regarding the provision of 21,000 tablets and power banks respectively.

It means the government and its partners will have to allocate US$5,355,000 to purchase its own electronic gadgets, which will be associated with a long procurement.  

The partners also warned about donor fatigue regarding the payment of nearly US$800,000 if the census isn’t held in October due to an agreement on the census project, which ends in December.

A postponement to December means the government and its partners must raise US$2 million amid global economic challenges.

In total, more than US$8.8 million would have been lost if the census wasn’t held in October.

“Your Excellency, the census is a legacy project for the government and its conduct will be a significant achievement for the citizens.

“If conducted in October, the census will be a milestone for Liberia to celebrate as it would: (a) provide the much-needed reliable data for development planning, (b) enable measurement of progress on national development and (c) inform the world in November of Liberia’s contribution to the global population of eight billion,” Niels wrote.

They have assured Weah of the necessary financial, technical, logistical and administrative arrangements that have been put in place to ensure that the census is held unhindered.

LISGIS has been working with the speed of light to meet these timelines.

A second application for field staff ended on 14 August with recruitment scheduled for August 29 to September 2 and training expected to kick-off mid-September to early October ahead of deployment on 15 October.  

A national stakeholder engagement conference, in collaboration with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), was held at the Monrovia City Hall on 26 August.

A meeting with House Speaker Bhofal Chambers and Deputy Speaker Fonati Koffa and the leadership; UNFPA Resident Representative Bidisha Pillai, LISGIS acting Director-General Wilmot F. Smith, Jr. and Deputy Director-General for administration Lawrence George took place on 23 August.

A national establishment census stakeholders’ workshop to ease data collection on the field was held with the business community on 16 August.

A capacity building strategy and action plan workshop to enhance statistical work in Liberia was held at LISGIS for national statistical systems on 12 August.

A 10-day training for the provisioning and to insert geographic and cartographic mappings on the tablets ended on 15 August while the coding on the tablets per county has started.

LISGIS and partners have been regularly meeting to ensure that census are held in October with preliminary results available on 11 November and final results on 25 November due to the digital nature which will enable the immediate transmission of field data to the data center once collected.

President Weah, based on the exigency of the issues raised, recalled the legislature from its constituency break on 9 August for a month (15 August to 13 September) to discuss and act upon matters of national emergency, including setting-up of a new census date.

LISGIS management and board chair Tweah are expected to appear before the plenary at the legislature on August 30 to explain why the census must be held in October. Liberia’s last census was held in March 2008