Ojuolape: Population and Housing Census Essential for Devt, Address Gender Inequality

As the Representative in Ghana, Mr. Niyi Ojuolape led the United Nations Sexual and Reproductive Health Agency (UNFPA)’s strategic partnership with the Government of Ghana in conducting the Population and Housing Census in 2021, dubbed the first digital census in Africa. Two years after, he is leading a similar effort towards Somalia’s 2024 Census as the current Country Representative in Somalia. Ojuolape, an international development expert and an Alumnus of Bocconi University Milan and Harvard Kennedy Executive Programme, shares with THISDAY the significance of Population and Housing Census in addressing gender inequality, which is a vital UN Sustainable Development Goal. Excerpts:

In the interest of our readers who may be meeting you for the first time, who is Niyi Ojuolape, and what does the UNFPA as an organisation do?

I am Edward Adeniyi Ojuolape, Representative of the UN Sexual and Reproductive Agency (UNFPA) in Somalia. I served in the same capacity in Ghana before arriving here and I was a Deputy Representative of UNFPA in Congo DRC. Prior to that I also served as Chief of Staff (ad interim) to the UNFPA Executive Director, late Prof. Babatunde Osotimehin. Before joining the UN, I held executive roles in Nigeria’s Federal Ministry of Health (FMoH) and the National Agency for Control of AIDS (NACA). As an organisation, UNFPA serves several objectives, which include family planning, gender-based violence prevention, reduction in maternal mortality and gender inequality, sexual and reproductive health and rights, as well as variegated youth-focused services. Also central to what we do is supporting the 10-year-old girl in a world of 8 billion through a variety of means. Helping societies become conscious of practices that keep women and girls out of school and limit their agency and ability to make decisions about their health and sexual and reproductive lives. Because, when societies empower women and girls to exert autonomy over their lives and bodies, there are important knock-on effects for development.

What is the significance of World Population Day?

 It is an annual commemoration on every July 11th. It was established in 1989 and essentially seeks to raise awareness on various population issues such as the importance of family planning, gender equality, maternal health, human rights and poverty. In effect, it is a time to reflect on the most concerning population issues. This year, the UNFPA wants the world to reflect on how to unleash the power of gender equality and to do so by uplifting the voices of women and girls. We believe this is the most sustainable path to a world of thriving communities.

Let us talk a bit about the conduct of census in Africa. There has been some serious interest in that regard in the last five or so years?

You are right and we should applaud and commend this progress. A few examples come to mind. In North Africa, Egypt and Algeria held population censuses in 2017 and 2018, respectively. In East Africa, Kenya did so in 2019, and Rwanda had its fifth housing and population census in 2022. In West Africa, Ghana conducted its sixth population census in 2021, and in Nigeria, talks about a 2023 population census are ongoing However, when you consider that the UN benchmark for census conduct is for countries to do so, once in every ten years, then you can see there are still gaps and most countries do not keep to the 10 year schedule for a recount. There are reasons for that, obviously, with resource or security constraints presenting some challenges. At any rate, we are dedicated towards assisting governments work through these hurdles.

From your assessment and experience, how much difference does population and housing census really make in the development process of a country?

It does make a tremendous difference in fact. The gains and knock-on effect of population census are enormous, particularly in identifying the gender inequality gap and presenting an opportunity for governments to take the right steps to uplift all facets of society that are being left behind. To be clear, census is an important stock-taking exercise for any country. As a government, in order to effectively and sustainably improve the lives of the people, you have to know their numbers and their situation. How many are they, who are they, when were they born, where do they live, what do they do? That leads to the question of who is lagging behind, educationally, economically, politically, etc. Is it women and girls (which is often the case)? How many are getting education? How many are employed? How much agency can they exercise over their lives? What about political representation for women? You then start asking, how do we design opportunities and allocate resources to level the playing field? To ensure women have more opportunities for economic mobility and are in position to plan their lives and families better. In a nutshell, the gendered data produced during census can lead to valuable interventions towards gender equality. Countries like Rwanda, South Africa and Iceland, to mention a few, are examples of states who identified through their census data wide gender inequalities in economic and social life and used policies to plug these gaps.

What was your experience during the Census in Ghana and what worked so well in that period?

UNFPA’S partnership with Ghana on the census delivered the desired objective. It was quite successful. We had a strong and dedicated partnership with the Government of Ghana and we saw a transparent and digitalized population and housing count. We got on board expert statisticians, demographers, while also co-mobilising the necessary technological, human, and financial resources. But then, no two countries are the same. Given dissimilar historical and political developments, every country will have their peculiar strengths and challenges. The vital thing is to evaluate and put in place the necessary conditions for a smooth census exercise.

How will you describe Somalia’s state of preparedness keeping in mind some of the security concerns in the country?

There is political will from the Somali government regarding the census after five decades since the last one. So we are consulting together, studying what other countries have done, especially within the sub-region and mobilising accordingly. It is not just the UNFPA by the way, there are other partners such as UNECA and the U.S Census Bureau. In my estimation, it is a development that excites many Somalis. The government will expectedly derive key insights to inform policies that will tackle some of the challenges currently faced in the country. Also note that two-thirds of the Somali population are estimated to be people under 30. Opportunities and resources for young people are one of the building blocks for a thriving society, and this a demographic we care deeply about. So we are excited for the country too. Somalia also have one of the most thriving diaspora communities dedicated towards growth and development in the country. They too will be keenly looking forward to it. With respect to security, it is a crucial concern due to locations where the government does not maintain complete control. However, technological solutions are being explored and there are a host of technical advisers providing the needed guidance.

Thank you for your time, Mr. Ojuolape…

Thank you for having me.

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QUOTES

“Census is an important stock-taking exercise for any country. As a government, in order to effectively and sustainably improve the lives of the people, you have to know their numbers and their situation”

“The gains and knock-on effect of population census are enormous, particularly in identifying the gender inequality gap and presenting an opportunity for governments to take the right steps to uplift all facets of society that are being left behind. To be clear, census is an important stock-taking exercise for any country.”