The first national population and housing census in decades has begun in Somalia, and it will last for two years.
“We will be counting those who live in the Somali territory and the houses they live in,” Dr. Abdi Ali Ige, head of the Somali Population and Housing Census, told journalists.
Ige, who will be in charge of the initiative, said that in order to conduct the census, the data gatherers will adhere to a standard technique used around the world.
“We are using a combination of de facto and de jure methodology. That means we are counting population we find on the day of the counting,” he said. “[For] the nomadic population and the homeless, we are using de jure methodology. That means we are asking people where they usually live — it’s a combination of two methodologies because Somalis have different population strata.”
The census, according to Ige, will begin with the urban population before moving on to the rural and nomadic groups.
“Before the count is conducted, there will be a mapping of the country using satellite imagery of towns and cities, villages, and rural areas,” he said.
It will take about eight months to map, he said. Before the counting begins in October 2024, the 30,000 data collectors will also receive training.
“The census will be concluded from two weeks to one month … every house will be knocked,” he said.