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1. Project Planning and Management2. Geospatial Mapping and EA Database3. Enumeration Instruments and Tools4. Data Capture and Management5. Census Testing and Pilots6. Recruitment and Training7. Deployment and Supervision8. Enumeration and Logistics9. Quality Assurance and Risk Management10. Census Analysis and Products11. Partnerships and Collaboration12. Advocacy and Publicity13. Procurement and Financial Management14. Post-Enumeration Survey15. Alternative Approaches16. Planning Checklist
Case Studies▶
1. Project Planning and Management2. Geospatial Mapping3. Enumeration Instruments4. Data Capture5. Census Testing6. Recruitment and Training7. Deployment and Supervision8. Enumeration and Logistics9. Quality Assurance10. Census Analysis11. Partnerships12. Advocacy13. Procurement14. Post-Enumeration Survey15. Alternative Approaches16. Planning Checklist
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Key implementation areas for procurement and financial management in a digital census​

Successfully executing a digital census in Africa requires a strategic overhaul of traditional procurement and financial management practices. The procurement for a digital census moves beyond simply buying goods; it involves sourcing an entire ecosystem of technology and services in:

  • Hardware sourcing, this involves a large-scale procurement of tens of thousands of tablets or smartphones for enumerators. This requires detailed technical specifications, rigorous testing, and planning for accessories like power banks, chargers, and protective cases.

  • Software Development and Licensing, NSOs must decide whether to build custom census software or license existing solutions for data collection applications (CAPI), data transmission systems, and real-time monitoring dashboards.

  • Procurement must cover the backend systems, including servers for data storage, cloud services, and robust data security infrastructure as well as seamless data transmission.

  • Procurement plans must account for areas with poor or no connectivity, potentially requiring devices with offline data storage capabilities and plans for physical data transfer.

  • Procurement of specialised services for training a large, temporary workforce on how to use the new digital tools is essential.

  • Procure and establishing technical support contracts for helpdesk support and field-level technical assistance is crucial to quickly resolve hardware or software issues during enumeration.

Financial management for a digital census must be agile and transparent, leveraging technology to monitor spending and ensure resources are used effectively. See also census budgeting.

  • Financial planning should consider the total cost of ownership of the technology, including maintenance, support, and potential for re-purposing assets for other statistical activities after the census, which can enhance the value proposition.

  • Budgets must be front-loaded to accommodate the high initial cost of technology procurement.

  • Budgets must include contingency funds to cover unforeseen costs, such as those arising from procurement delays, equipment failure, or external shocks like the COVID-19 pandemic, which increased costs for several countries.

  • Leverage on real-time financial oversight with dashboards as one of the most transformative aspects of a digital census. Financial managers can use real-time dashboards to track enumerator productivity and fieldwork progress against operational plans. This allows for early intervention if teams fall behind, preventing costly delays. Link payments to performance. These digital tools provide transparent, up-to-the-minute data that can be shared with funding partners, improving trust and demonstrating effective stewardship of resources.