By: Mama A. Touray
The Statistician General at the Gambia Bureau of Statistics (GBoS), Nyakassi MB Sanyang, revealed today that GBoS data collectors have enumerated 84% of households across the country. The briefing was held at the GBoS head office in Kanifing, marking the third media briefing since the data collection began.
Speaking to the media, Nyakassi MB Sanyang disclosed that despite the late start of the listing exercise due to the complexity of the logistics involved in launching field operations, the data collectors have registered significant progress.
He added, “As of Wednesday, June 12, 2024, 9:28 PM, data synchronized from the field show that 84% of households across the country have been enumerated, accounting for 80% of the total population, which translates to 2,261,724 persons, with the current average household size at the national level being 8.3.”
Enumeration at the regional level, according to Sanyang, was above 80%, with Kuntaur, Mansakonko, and Basse reporting comparatively higher enumeration rates, with close to 90% of households enumerated in those regions.
In Kerewan and Janjanbureh, 84% of the population has been enumerated, whereas in Banjul, Kanifing, and Brikama, about 83% of the population has been enumerated.
“Enumerators who have completed their listing and enumeration have been redeployed to other enumeration areas to ensure timely completion of the work. In the past 24 hours, all field workers who have signed the contract and whose names have been submitted to the Project Implementation Unit have been paid or sent to mobile money agents for payment,” Sanyang said.
Sanyang informed the media that out of a total of 366,677 structures mapped during the 2023 mapping exercise, 320,216 structures have been listed, corresponding to 87.3% of the total, and fieldworkers are working tirelessly to ensure that the remaining buildings/structures are accounted for and listed.
Highlighting the challenges during data collection, he said, “We are still facing resistance in some cohorts and non-Gambian communities as reported in the last press conference. We are using all possible diplomatic channels to get them to comply, but if this fails, we will unavoidably use the powers vested in us. I am again taking this opportunity to call on everyone in this country to comply as it is mandatory to provide accurate information.”
