Abuja: Nigeria has launched a geospatial database to strengthen preparations for the forthcoming National Population and Housing Census, aimed at delivering credible, technology-driven, and verifiable national population data. The initiative was unveiled at a High-Level engagement on Consolidating Nigeria’s Geospatial Database in Preparation for the Upcoming Population and Housing Census.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, Ms. Muriel Mafico, the Resident Representative of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), said the project marked the commencement of an 18-month initiative to modernize Nigeria’s population data systems and strengthen national geospatial and population data systems. Represented by the Deputy Representative, Mr. Koesson Kuawu, Mafico emphasized the importance of Population and Housing Census data for effective governance, economic planning, national development, and informed decision-making. She noted that Nigeria’s development goals heavily rely on credible, timely, and disaggregated population data.
Mafico highlighted the significant demographic, social, and economic changes Nigeria has undergone since the last Population and Housing Census in 2006. She pointed out that reliance on outdated population estimates undermines evidence-based planning and hampers the effective implementation of national and global development programs. She stressed the necessity of updated census data for informing national planning and assessing progress towards achieving goals like the Sustainable Development Goals and Africa Agenda 2063.
The NPC Chairman, Mr. Aminu Yusuf, represented by the Delta State Commissioner, Mrs. Blessing Brume-Ataguba, stated that census planning must rely on accurate and integrated spatial data systems. He explained that the initiative aims to enhance Nigeria’s national geospatial database, aiding census preparation, evidence-based planning, and broader development goals. He emphasized that a modern geospatial database is more than a technical asset, forming a core part of national planning architecture.
The Statistician-General of the Federation, Mr. Adeyemi Adediran, represented by Mr. Salihu Itopa, the Director of Information and Communication Technology, National Bureau of Statistics, highlighted the project’s role in strengthening Nigeria’s statistical system and supporting credible census outcomes. He noted that geospatial intelligence is central to governance, influencing infrastructure planning, population monitoring, resource management, emergency response, and social interventions.
The Director-General of the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), Mrs. Abisoye Coker-Odusote, emphasized the role of identity systems in strengthening census credibility. Represented by Mallam Sherrif Balogun, the Deputy Director of Database, she underscored the critical need for accuracy, inclusivity, and credibility in Nigeria’s first census in nearly two decades. She advocated for integrating geospatial intelligence into census planning to ensure a robust and reliable national enumeration exercise.
In his keynote address, Dr. Chris Nnanatu of WorldPop, University of Southampton, underscored the importance of integrating multiple datasets for accurate planning and census execution. He highlighted the project’s goal to strengthen Nigeria’s geospatial data infrastructure and produce a high-resolution policy-relevant sampling frame to support census planning, health programming, and development activities. Dr. Nnanatu added that advancing artificial intelligence and machine learning technologies would bolster Nigeria’s spatial data framework for census and long-term development planning.