Dr. Augustino Ting Mayai, the Chairperson of the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), emphasized the crucial need for comprehensive resource support for a census within the coming two years.
In an exclusive interview with Radio Tamazuj, Dr. Ting underscored that conducting a census for the 2026 general elections would be deemed unfeasible without support.
According to him, the census is a sovereign exercise, which underpins the needs of the government and the partners to use the information for development, services planning and for deciding matters related to governance.
Below are edited excerpts.
Q. Dr. Mayai, what have you achieved since you assumed office?
A. I took office seven months ago and all the transition arrangements were in process for us to set the stage for the development activities.
There are a couple of things that are taking place right now; the infrastructure of the bureau is being revamped, and we have the renovation of the fence and some offices within the bureau. We have also rolled out studies, one of which started last week and another will start in a week’s time.
The first study is looking at what is called the house and wellbeing of children and women in the country; the first of its kind since independence. The second will look at labor force and migration. It will also be the first in the country since independence. The other study will look at poverty. The last time poverty statistics were produced was 2009.
We have also organized trainings for which a hall is ready. We began the statistical training for different ministries both nationally and at Juba level.
Major exercises are still being planned, including the census, for which we are still seeking resources.
Q. Is the institution able to generate data and analyze it for public use?
A. The immediate data sources include the Consumer Price Index (CPI) information. We generate that on a monthly basis. Previously, this was done at Juba, Malakal and Wau levels, but we have now extended it to the 10 states. Therefore, this month statistics will cover the entire country.
The second is the wellbeing of children and women that is also nationwide. We are collecting data right now. We are also putting in place the statistics on labor force and migration. In the next few weeks, we will be conducting the backdating of the central training across the country. Yes, data has been generated and they are not being analyzed. It takes a while for these data to be analyzed.
Q. What are the challenges for the bureau?
A. Salaries are an issue for the entire government, not just our bureau. The government has not paid the employees for about 10 months now. This is because our oil revenue stopped in February. When resources are diminished at the level of not paying salaries, other developmental programs are not funded. Therefore, the bureau has not received any funding, including for conducting the census.
When I last spoke to Radio Tamazuj I said there was a promise to make things work here. We are just putting things in order and when there is stability, we should plan things for our nation.
Q. Since the government is not funding anything now, where are you getting the resources to conduct surveys?
A. From the international community. The study number one was funded by UNICEF. The second study is funded by ILO and the third by the African Development Bank.
We are doing a mini study right now with the Ministry of Health on yellow fever post campaign study in Western Equatoria. WHO is funding that.
Q. Last February, you acknowledged that the government does not fund the bureau. Has the situation improved?
A. As I mentioned, the resources are limited across the board; not just for the bureau. We have not received any substantial funding from the government since I assumed office, other than for salaries. The government has approved the budget for the census and it will support the renovation of offices and infrastructure. We are waiting for the census funding.
Q. Have you been engaging other international donors for support?
A. There are three or four exercises being executed right now that are exclusively funded by the international community. The household and budget, the labor and migration and the yellow fever campaign surveys are all funded by the international community.
Yes, we have been looking for resources from the international community. We have been given institutional support from UNFPA in terms of pay for fuel, internet and the dissemination of studies that were conducted before I came here. We are funding the consumer price of cost of living through the local and regional banks.
Q. The country is in need of a population census. Do you think it can be conducted after the extension of the transitional period for 24 months?
A. Absolutely. The census is needed for two purposes. One is for government planning and governance, and the other is to support the elections. Within two years if resources are made available, the bureau will conduct the census.
Q. Elaborate the importance of the census?
A. The census is a sovereign exercise, which underpins the needs of the government and the partners to use the information for development, services planning and for deciding matters related to governance. A good example is elections. So demarcating constituencies is going to require that we have population counts in order to determine the number of the parliamentarians per locality.
Q. Is there any indication that the government may soon conduct the census?
A. The budget was approved by the Council of Ministers and I want to mention that our bill was passed in July. That was one of the top promises that I made when I assumed office. With the bill being passed, there are additional support mechanisms that are provided by the government. Parliament recently advised that we begin to monitor all the statistical studies across the country and take charge of the data to ensure quality. The Ministry of Finance was asked to make sure that it provides resources for the bureau to do more than what it is doing right now. Therefore, the government is willing to mobilize resources for the bureau to exercise its mandate.
The main challenge is that the government does not have enough resources. What we have done is to have the government mobilize half of that and then the Ministry of Finance and I will mobilize half from the international community.
The government is looking for its contribution and our contribution is to mobilize funding through the African Development Bank and other international bodies. If we end up not getting the whole amount, we will sit down with the government and see if we can fill the gap or still do the census without any major challenges.
Q. There were doubts surrounding the accuracy of the population estimate and particularly the claim that Warrap State has the highest among the 10 states?
A. The estimation survey was conducted before I came on board and I have underscored my personal reservation but also emphasized the importance of the part to produce the data. Anybody can challenge the result but the practice itself provided a learning opportunity for the people of South Sudan that, for example, undertaking the census is going to benefit from the process itself.
There are challenges related to statistics and we provide this information with caution.
Q. Final message
A. The bureau is facing challenges but they can be navigated and I have resolved, as the head of the institution, to ensure that it implements its mandate, working with the government, the private sector and of course the international community.