Politics

2023 census shows Namibia’s population now over three million

Published

2 months ago

March 14, 2024

According to recent data, Namibia’s population is now 3,022,401, as the Namibia Statistics Agency revealed the eagerly awaited preliminary results of the 2023 census in the nation’s capital on Thursday.

In a statement released on the organization’s website on Thursday, Statistician-General Alex Shimuafeni, noted that between the 2011 and 2023 censuses, there was a noteworthy 65.5% increase in the population living in urban areas.

On the other hand, during the same period, the population in rural areas increased by a more moderate 26.3%. The fourth population survey since Namibia’s independence in 1990 is being carried out with this census. It is notable for being the nation’s first digital census to use spatial technology.

The first comprehensive census, which counted 1.4 million people, was conducted in 1991. The second census, which was conducted in 2001, came next, with 1.8 million people counted. There were 2.1 million people living there in 2011, according to the results of the most recent census.

“The population has grown almost twofold since the first post-independence census was conducted in 1991.

“Females make up a greater proportion of the population in the 2023 PHC, as has been the trend for the past four censuses.

“Average household size, which has been on the decline since 1991, is 3.8 persons per household,” the statement read.

According to The New Era, Namibia’s daily national newspaper, Prime Minister Saara Kuugongelwa-Amadhila emphasized the insightful information in the report during its release. She emphasized how this data can direct the creation of strategic plans, initiatives, and resource distribution.

“Effective governance hinges on decisions rooted in empirical evidence. The census data empowers us to identify priority areas, understand demographic dynamics, and tailor our policies to address the unique needs of various segments of our population.

Statistics provide us with a tool to pursue social justice, ensuring that no one is left out. By so doing, we pave the way for a Namibia where every citizen, regardless of location or circumstance, has access to the opportunities needed to thrive,” she observed.

On March 21, 1990, Namibia declared its independence from South Africa. Namibia, at 824,292 km2 (318,261 sq mi), is the 34th largest country in the world despite its immense size. Its population density is also among the lowest in Africa.

Related Topics:Featured Namibia Namibia Statistics Agency

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Politics

Mozambique: Ruling FRELIMO announces Chapo as presidential candidate

Published

2 days ago

May 7, 2024

Ifeoluwa Dada

Daniel Chapo has announced that he will run for president in the October election on behalf of the ruling FRELIMO party in Mozambique.

Since achieving independence in 1975, FRELIMO has ruled the nation in southern Africa, and the party is hoping that Chapo can lead it to another win in the election on October 9.

“The soap opera of speculation is over, including speculation about the third term,” President Filipe Nyusi said on state television on Sunday, dismissing the prospect of contesting elections again.

“We must all unite around comrade Daniel Francisco Chapo, in the demanding march towards electoral victory next October,” Nyusi said.

The president of Mozambique is limited to two terms of five years by the constitution. Nevertheless, following his reelection as party leader in 2022, there had been conjecture in the media that Nyusi may run for a third term.

Chapo, a relatively unknown person in national politics, is the governor of the province of Inhambane in southern Mozambique. As to the party announcement, he secured 225 votes (about 94%) from the central committee of the party.

“We are going to work with all social strata,” Chapo said on television after his win.

Chapo, a former radio host, was born in 1977, making him the first candidate for FRELIMO to be born since the nation gained its independence.

He has served in many governmental capacities, most notably as an administrator of the districts of Nacala and Palma. He also has a master’s degree in development management and a law degree.

Politics

Again, Rwanda denies it attacked displaced persons in DR Congo

Published

5 days ago

May 4, 2024

Ifeoluwa Dada

For the sixteenth time, Rwanda refuted US charges on Saturday that its troops attacked a camp for internally displaced persons in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), placing the blame instead on militants it claimed were backed by the military of the Congo.

The US State Department released a statement in which it vehemently denounced the incident that claimed at least nine lives on Friday.

There have been persistent accusations against Rwanda of providing support to the armed organizations, which has resulted in diplomatic tensions between the neighbours in East Africa.

Citing the threat that Rwanda’s surface-to-air missile systems posed to civilians, U.N. and other regional peacekeepers, aid workers, and commercial aircraft operating in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the US demanded in February that Rwanda remove its systems and all of its armed forces from the DRC immediately. Rwanda denies providing any assistance to the rebels.

According to the U.S. statement, the M23 rebel group, which Rwanda supports, and the Rwandan Defense Forces (RDF) held the positions from which the attack was launched. The United States is “gravely concerned about the recent RDF and M23 expansion” in eastern Congo.

Speaking on behalf of the Rwandan government, Yolande Makolo refuted claims that the RDF was responsible for the attack, blaming instead rebels backed by the Congolese military.

“The RDF, a professional army, would never attack an IDP (displaced persons). Look to the lawless FDLR and Wazalendo supported by the FARDC (Congolese military) for this kind of atrocity,” she said in a post on X.

Wazalendo is a Christian sect, while the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) is a Hutu organization that was founded by Hutu officials who left Rwanda after planning the 1994 genocide.

Thousands of people from the surrounding areas have fled to Goma in eastern Congo as a result of the M23 rebels’ two-year offensive, which has advanced toward the city in recent months.