The National Population and Housing Census 2022, where all persons in Guyana are counted, began yesterday.
The Census takes a complete count of the population and buildings of the country with the aim of providing vital data for developmental plans for the nation, as well as providing the private sector with information that will help in new areas of investment.
And according to a Bureau of Statistics release, the first persons to be counted were the households of the President, Prime Minister, and the Leader of the Opposition.
The release informed that the census-takers began their count in the households of First Lady Arya Ali and son, Zayd Ali, at State House, then continued with the Prime Minister, Brigadier (Ret’d) Mark Phillips, his wife Mignon Bowen-Phillips, and their daughter Maya Phillips at his official residence. Later in the day, the Leader of the Opposition, Aubrey Norton and family were counted at his private residence on the East Coast of Demerara.
During the count of the First Family, the Chief Statistician, Errol La Cruez, who was present during the process noted, “The First Lady was very receptive and accommodating to the census-taker. She recognised the importance of the Census and acknowledged the impact the Census data will have on improving the lives of persons across Guyana.”
Prime Minister Phillips, commenting on the enumeration process was quoted as saying, “It is quite a simple process. Whenever the team comes to your home kindly cooperate and get the interview done because it’s also important for the information to be available to us as a government to plan and implement our programmes and projects for the development of Guyana, development that you will benefit from.”
While his household was being counted, Norton remarked, “It is my view that a census is important. It will allow us to understand the demographics in Guyana among other things.” He urged, “Be part of the census, ensure you are counted, it will contribute to the kind of data that is needed to do the kinds of analysis and projections in societies like ours.”
Senior Finance Minister, Dr. Ashni Singh yesterday called on all Guyanese to ensure they are counted. The Finance Minister said that the information provided via the Census will generate critical statistics on the demography of the country that will help to inform policy-making and guide key policy decisions for the medium and long term. The Minister said in a release that these will include infrastructure requirements such as roads, schools, hospitals and other social services. The Census statistics will inform private sector decision-making including in such areas as new and emerging centres of demand for goods and services.
Trained ‘Census-Takers’ from the Bureau of Statistics will be visiting every home in Guyana over the next eight weeks to collect this vital information from the population. This exercise occurs every ten years, in accordance with the Statistics Act of 1965.
The release noted that the 2022 Census is a historic one for Guyana, since the enumerators will be collecting data electronically, instead of using paper, as was done in the past. The Bureau cautioned that all enumerators must present their Bureau of Statistics Identification Badges before entering the home of any person during the census.
All persons who spent Census night within the boundaries of Guyana will be counted in the Census, regardless of nationality. Census night is the period between 12 midnight and 6:00 am on September 15, 2022, the release added.
