Chad launches third national census amid logistical challenges
Residents in Massaguet travel to towns to be enumerated as officials grapple with difficult terrain and public service grievances.
Chad has officially commenced its third General Population and Housing Census (RGPH-3) at the end of June, marking the country’s first nationwide enumeration exercise since 2009. The launch, reported from Massaguet in western Chad, represents a critical administrative milestone for the central African nation as it seeks to update demographic data for governance and planning purposes.
However, the implementation of the census has been immediately complicated by significant logistical difficulties. According to reports from France 24 International, challenging access in remote areas is preventing census teams from reaching every household. These geographic barriers have disrupted the standard enumeration process, leaving gaps in coverage for isolated communities.
In response to these access constraints, some residents have taken matters into their own hands. To ensure they are included in the official count, individuals in hard-to-reach locations are travelling to nearby towns where census teams are operational. This self-directed movement of the population highlights the practical difficulties of conducting a comprehensive headcount in a country with extensive rural and remote territories.
Beyond the immediate administrative hurdles, the census has taken on a broader social significance for many citizens. There is a prevailing hope among the population that the data collected will draw the government’s attention to longstanding shortcomings in public services. Residents view the enumeration process as a potential mechanism to highlight deficiencies in infrastructure and state provision.
The launch of the RGPH-3 comes 17 years after the previous nationwide census, underscoring the long gap in updated demographic records. As the exercise continues, the intersection of logistical failure and civic expectation suggests that the census will serve not only as a statistical tool but also as a barometer for public sentiment regarding state performance.
