The Minister of State for Finance, Budget and National Planning has revealed that the next 2023 census will cost the federal government N869 billion.
Clem Agba stated this yesterday at an engagement for the 2023 Population and Housing in Abuja, where Nigeria sought support from the private sector and international donors for the census.
The minister said N626bn ($1.36bn) will be spent on pre and during the census exercise; while N243bn ($527m) would be spent on post census.
He said the government has so far spent N291.5bn ($632m) on the census, making it 46 percent of the expected total funding.
He also stated that N327.2bn is required to complete the census, especially for the usage of digital gadgets with the transmission of census in real time.
“The UNFPA has been, and is currently providing significant technical and financial support to the census program. We will be establishing a basket fund that will be managed by UNFPA. They are developing a link that will be made available for donors,” he said.
According to Zainab Ahmed, Minister of Finance, Budget, and National Planning, the census will be conducted using digital questionnaires, digital maps, and cloud computing to ensure compliance with the global goal to reduce emissions by 30%.
A reliable census in Nigeria will lay the groundwork for sustainable development, according to Mathias Schmale, United Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Nigeria.
Nasir Kwarra, the chairman of the National Population Commission (NPC), promised funders that the money will be wisely spent.
