Despite double deadline extensions: General census ends without meeting target.

This is despite the use of digital approach, involving tablet-based data collection, satellite imagery, and aerial surveillance, particularly for hard-to-reach areas, to ensure the data is representative and credible to an extent. 

This is despite the use of digital approach, involving tablet-based data collection, satellite imagery, and aerial surveillance, particularly for hard-to-reach areas, to ensure the data is representative and credible to an extent. 

Per provisional data, which is even doubted by some compatriots, owing to the controversies that mired the process, the 85% was only achieved due to last minute efforts from officials. 

This is despite double extension of the deadline of the exercise by the Prime Minister, Head of Government, Dr Chief Joseph Dion Ngute.

Last minute rush to up counting 

Officials involved in the coordination of the counting process have been on their toes to up the percentage in the last minutes. 

A field mission to this effect was carried out by the Coordinator of the General Population and Housing Census, Bernadette Mbarga, and the Coordinator of the General Census of Agriculture and Livestock, André Mbalranodji, from September 10 to 14.

This was in Abang Minko'o, Kye-Ossi, and Ambam in the Ntem Valley Division of the South Region. 

We gathered that it is such last minute efforts that have helped to increase the percentage of the head count. 

The East Region is said to have recorded the highest number of persons counted followed by the far North Region. 

Two weeks back, officials, we gathered, were battling between 71.7% of coverage nationally. 

Densely populated areas like Wouri in the Littoral Region and Mfoundi in the Centre Region also witnessed slide increase in percentage within the last days.

Both areas are said to be within the neighbourhood of about 60% coverage compared to about 40.4% and 35.5% it had in the early weeks back. 

Post-census survey phase next 

With the official end of the counting exercise, officials say the post-census survey phase will begin. This, they say, will handle key variables like establishing sex and age, addressing omissions, missing persons, refusals, and other shortcomings recorded throughout the process. 

The process, we gathered, will take the next three months. Meantime, pilot the hybrid control is also planned in conflict-hit areas like the North West and the South West Regions. 

This, it was said, will be done by administering questionnaires to the population before the cleaning up of the data in the final phase to obtain the final statistics.

Difficult road to 85% head count 

While extending the exercise for the second time last July 30, the PM had ordered the setting up of a nationwide complementary mop-up period for the joint enumeration operations.

This, he had explained, was to finalise the enumeration operations by strengthening the coverage of households, individuals, and agricultural holdings. 

PM Dion Ngute had also instructed the intensification of communication and awareness-raising actions to increase public support for census operations. He had equally called for the implementation of all necessary measures to ensure the satisfactory completion and exhaustive coverage of enumeration operations nationwide.

The just ended census, it should be said, comes 20 years after the last census of November 2005. The deadline extension came amidst series of complaints from across the country on the unfolding of the activity. 

Many inhabitants had voiced complaints that the census kits are not properly working in many localities. Questions had also been posed on the seriousness of the census. 

Another major impediment to the census was the sit-down strike by many enumerators, prior to the first extension, over complaints of delay in payment of their allowances. 

Enumerators had staged a protest, demanding the payment of their allowances. Many of the frustrated census agents had accused authorities of failing to respect financial commitments, made to them before the launch of the nationwide operation on April 24, 2026. 

This article was first published in The Guardian Post Edition No:3911 of Wednesday September 16, 2026