The National Institute of Statistics in Rwanda (NISR) has announced that the pilot census that was scheduled to take place this month has been postponed to September 16 due to strict Covid-19 protocols.

A pilot census is an enumeration conducted in a sample, to test materials and census methodology to be used during the real exercise that is slated in August 2022.

The pilot census will take place in 600 villages of Rwanda, at least one village in each sector and will last for two weeks.

To conduct the exercise in a safe environment, the statistics body has put in place several measures to avoid virus transmissions and also employed virtual methods to collect, record and analyse the obtained findings.

Venant Habarugira, the Director of the Census Department at NISR, highlighted some of the virtual data collection methods employed to avoid physical contact.

"All enumerators are being trained on data collection and data transmission to our institution’s servers to avoid physical contacts and large-scale movements,” he said, citing that the online means will also save time.

He adds that each enumerator will be assigned a village where they normally live so as to avoid unnecessary movements.

"On top of that, every enumerator will be conducting the census with a hand sanitizer and maintain social distancing while interviewing the citizens,” Habarugira also noted.

The pilot census will be conducted to assess the network coverage and data transmission effort ahead of the main census that is slated in August next year.

Next year’s main census will last for 15 days from August 16 and the provisional results will be announced in December 2022 whereas the final results will be out in December 2023.

Habarugira then urges local authorities and civil societies among other stakeholders to inform the population about the census and its operations.

With 30,000 enumerators each handling 150 households, the upcoming census will be the fifth in Rwanda after the previous censuses conducted in 2012, 2002, 1991 and 1978.

According to NISR, a census updates the demographic, social, economic and cultural characteristics of the population of Rwanda; population size and its special distribution up to village level, population structure (age, sex) the level, structure and trends of fertility, mortality and migration; population projections, Economic activities, Housing characteristics, and indicators for particular groups of the population such as female, children, youth, elders, and disabled persons.