NSA flags Kavango West data use gaps, youth and migration pressures

NKURENKURU, 28 MAR (NAMPA) – The Namibia Statistics Agency (NSA) on Friday highlighted gaps in the use of official data, growing youth demographic pressures and migration-related strains as some of its primary concerns for the Kavango West Region.

The concerns were raised during a briefing at Nkurenkuru, which focused on practical challenges emerging from the release of the 2023 Population and Housing Census and the launch of the Kavango West regional profile.

Speaking at the meeting, NSA's Manager of Corporate Communications Iipumbu Sakaria urged leaders to ensure that statistics are translated into action.

“We are not allowed to collect data from people and not share it with them,” Sakaria said, adding that the law requires the dissemination of information so that communities understand what is being done and why.

He said Kavango West’s population increased from about 86 000 in 2011 to 123 000 in 2023, with 76 per cent of the population aged below 35.

Sakaria said the region’s large child population will place increased pressure on public services within the next decade, requiring targeted planning.

He also said urbanisation is changing the country’s population profile, noting that Namibia is now almost evenly split between urban and rural residents.

According to Sakaria, migration data to be released later will show movement patterns across the country and help explain how unequal access to opportunities is driving migration from rural to urban areas.

On early childhood development (ECD), he said only 14.9 per cent of children aged between zero and five are enrolled in ECD programmes, and called for greater attention in areas where access remains limited.

During the discussion, Ncamagoro Constituency Councillor Thomas Rengi questioned whether official statistics are being used effectively in decision-making and resource allocation.

“We do not want to see government spending a lot of money for statistic collection, and it’s useless, we do not want more money for NSA to collect data if the data is not used,” he said.

Rengi further called for a review of NSA funding if data does not inform planning, and also raised concerns about the reliability of some figures based on local experience, including ethnicity counts and coverage during enumeration.

The regional profile launch echoed similar concerns, with speakers urging institutions to move “data off the page and into action” and use the findings as a shared roadmap for sustainable and inclusive development.

The meeting also called on leaders and communities to use the regional profile to lobby for resources that respond to identified needs.

Sakaria said the census release and the regional profile point to clear priorities, namely using the data, planning for a youthful population, addressing migration realities and aligning public spending with available evidence.
(NAMPA)
JLN/HP