Cameroon is taking a major step to modernize national planning by renewing and updating key socio-demographic, socio-economic, and agro-pastoral statistics data that is crucial for designing, implementing, and monitoring development policies, programs, and projects.Since gaining independence in 1960, Cameroon has carried out three General Population and Housing Censuses in 1976, 1987, and 2005, and conducted a single census of agriculture and livestock in 1984. However, to prevent gaps and obsolescence in planning data, preparatory work to update statistics has been underway since 2015.Against this background, the 4th General population, housing and agriculture and livestock census (GPHC) in Cameroon will run from the 24 of April to the 29 of May 2026. With this, media practitioners in the Littoral region have been mobilised to educate, inform, sensitise and raise awareness so that the population can understand and corporate during the census. This was during a one day seminar that took place in Douala on Monday April 27. In this regard the media practitioners were schooled on what the census is all about.It came out from the one day seminar that in order to improve efficiency and reduce delays in producing results, while also responding to Cameroon’s economic and security constraints, the government has chosen to conduct large-scale data collection jointly. The approach is designed to combine the General Population and Housing Census with the General Agriculture and Livestock Census under the framework of national development objectives, including the Growth and Employment Strategy Paper and monitoring of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).As a result the 4th combined census are expected to strengthen the national evidence base used for the implementation and follow-up of policies guiding the country’s emergence by 2035.According to head of the delegation to Douala, Madam Moli Scott, the success of the census, especially in the agriculture and livestock sectors depends on adopting an appropriate data collection strategy. Adding that Cameroon is therefore implementing the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) modular approach, as part of the 2010 World Programme for the Census of Agriculture.She said enumerators will collect information in the field using smartphones, an approach expected to improve accuracy, reduce processing delays, and support faster dissemination of findings.
The Fourth General Population and Housing Census (4th RGPH) was established by Presidential Decree No. 2015/397 of September 15, 2015. The General Agriculture and Livestock Census (RGAE) was established by Presidential Decree No. 2015/292 of June 29, 2015.Oversight for the two operations is shared by the Ministry of Economy, Planning and Regional Development (MINEPAT), the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development , and the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development (MINHDU), alongside relevant implementing institutions including the Central Bureau of Censuses and Population Studies (BUCREP) and national coordination structures for the GPHC.It is worth noting that Cameroon’s statistical law also sets obligations for participation and confidentiality. Under the statistical legislation, individuals and organizations involved in statistical census surveys are required to respond accurately within the deadlines set by the regulations, and data collected must be protected under statistical secrecy rules.The 4th General Population and Housing Census aims to generate comprehensive information to guide national planning and policy-making. With its blend of joint operations, internationally aligned methodology, and digital data capture, the census is a central tool for strengthening governance, improving national statistics, and enhancing accountability in development planning from SDG monitoring to long-term national emergence strategies.As preparations continue, citizens are called upon to cooperate with enumerators and respond accurately, in line with the legal requirements governing census and statistical activities.
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