House signs Joint Resolution Mandating Executive to Conduct Census in 2022

MONROVIA – The Plenary of the House of Representatives has concurred with the Liberian Senate joint resolution forwarded to it by the Liberian Senate calling for Liberia’s Population and Housing Census to be conducted this year.

Recently the House of Representatives received a resolution from the Liberian Senate setting October 24 to November 7, 2022 as the new date for the 2022 National Population and Housing Census to be conducted in Liberia.

The resolution was sent to the committee on Governance and Government reform. According to the committee, a consultative meeting was held with the Institute of Statistic and Geo-Information Services (LISGIS) and the country Development Partners represented by UNFPA Resident Representative to Liberia and her team.

Excerpt of the resolution: “It was generally agree that, given the significance of the census to National development, couple with the assurance from our development Partners that they prepare to work with the Liberian government to ensure that the census is held before December 2022, it was Prudent to recommend the concurrence of the House of Representative to the Senate’s Resolution.”

The latest development comes as Liberia’s donor partners have warned that the country stands to lose US$US$8.8 million if the census is not conducted this year.

In a leaked communication to President George Weah by the donors including Sweden, Irish Aid, the World Bank, ECOWAS and the United Nations, warned that “If the census is postponed to March 2023, the obligatory payments to census staff would be US$695,500. If the census is conducted in November 2022, staff costs would be significantly reduced to US$139,100, and if conducted in December 2022, the cost would be USS278, 200.”

Continuing, they said: “Also, the Government of Ghana loaned Liberia 21,000 electronic data collection tablets and accessories, which are to be returned at the end of October 2022,” the letter said. “If the census is not conducted in October, Liberia would have to purchase its own electronic tablets at US$5,355,000. The delay associated with the long procurement lead time would also constrain census implementation.”

The Committee’s letter also warned that financial commitments by donors may not be fulfilled if the census is not conducted in October and the balance of US$759,255 will not be disbursed as the agreement on the Census project ends in December 2022.

The move by Legislature to pass the resolution #001/2022, now pave the way for the Executive Branch of the Government to proceed and make the necessary preparations for the conduct of the National Census from October 24 to November 7, 2022

The House Committee is headed by Nimba County District #8 Rep. Larry P. Younquoi as chairman and Rep. Frank Saah Foko Jr as Co-Chair.