The African Development Bank (AfDB) has pledged to provide electronic tablets for use during Zambia’s first-ever digital-based Census of Population and Housing in 2020.

In a statement issued by Ministry of National Development Planning Public Relations Officer Chibaula Silwamba, AfDB intend to liaise with other African countries to assist Zambia with the 2020 census.

“AfDB Country Manager for Zambia Mary Manneko Monyau announced the Bank’s support during a recent roundtable Donor Meeting on the 2020 Census of Population and Housing. Ms. Monyau said the AfDB was exploring the possibility of leasing tablets from different countries, depending on the census calendar, which would be used in Zambia’s 2020 Census,” the statement read.

“The Bank normally provides technical assistance in censuses particularly in the preparatory activities in African countries, and Zambia was a beneficiary in 2010. Zambia has been a beneficiary of the AfDB support in terms of various techniques of data collection and the Bank pledged to support capacity-building in the area of information technology. The Bank pledged to consider providing support in the areas of economic census, including annual business survey. The support is likely to materialise in the first quarter of 2019.”

“The AfDB congratulated the government of Zambia for its commitment to conduct censuses and mainstreaming of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the Seventh National Development Plan (7NDP). The engagements with the cooperating partners and the private sector are part of the Minister of National Development Planning Hon. Alexander Chiteme’s continued efforts to mobilise resources for the 2020 Census for Population and Housing,” read the statement.

“The estimated total budget for the 2020 Census of Population and Housing is K841,563,560 (about US $75,139,604). Zambia will conduct the Census of Population and Housing in August, 2020. The 2020 Census will be the first of its kind in Zambia to be conducted using electronic data collection methodology – Computer Assisted Personal Interviewing (CAPI). The 2020 Census will be a complete shift from the traditional Pen and Paper Interview (PAPI) to Computer Assisted Personal Interview (CAPI)/digital Census.”