As part of ongoing support towards the 2020/21 Census sheduled to be undertaken in November of 2021, UNFPA procured and handed over 2,110 bicycles worth USD 268,471 to the Minister of National Development Planning, Hon. Alexander Chiteme MP, during an event to officially unveil the Zambia Statistics Agency (ZamStats) Board.
Speaking durng the handover ceremony, Hon. Chiteme acknowledged the sustained collaboration between UNFPA and the Government of Zambia, towards the generation of data for policy and programming, including the 2020/21 Census of Population and Housing. Hon. Chiteme further noted that the unveiling of the first ever ZamStats Board signified the beginning of a new era in the development of integrated national statistics and an enhanced coordination and dialogue in the production, dissemination and use of official statistics.
“The appointed board will enhance a society of knowledge which will anchor its policies and decision-making on a strong statistical foundation" he said.
Speaking at the same event, UNFPA Representative Ms. Gift Malunga acknowledged Government’s commitment towards improving the national statistical system as demonstrated by the enactment of the Statistics Act of 2018, noting that the role of the statistics in the country’s development trajectory cannot be over emphasized.
"Zambia's Vision 2030 aspirations can only be achieved if the principle of leaving no one behind is well integrated into national development programmes and this is only achievable when data is used to identify the varying development needs of the country’s population" she said.
In Zambia, UNFPA continues to partner with the Government of Zambia and partners in the provision of data for advancing the ICPD Agenda, the Sustainable Development Goals in Zambia, and Zambia’s Vison 2030.
