The Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE) received, from August 19 to 23, at the headquarters of the Institute, downtown Rio de Janeiro, a visit from the National Statistical Institute (INE) of Mozambique for the exchange of experiences and for discussions about the implementation of adigital Census in Mozambique in 2027.

With the topic “Reference Centers for Electronic Data Collection”, the meetings were part of a project by means of which the IBGE provides technical support for the sharing of data collection and enumeration methodologies and techniques. In the meetings, representatives of the IBGE’s General Coordination of Census Operations (GCOC), the Directorate of Information Technology (DTI), Directorate of Geosciences (DGC) and Center for information Documentation and Dissemination (CDDI) assessed the initial project of the Mozambican Census, sent by the INE.

“The IBGE is a partner institution; we speak the same language. Brazil has conducted an entirely digital Census but we haven’t. In 2027 we intend to have a completely digital Census in Mozambique. We are now at the preparation phase and that’s why we have come here,” said the president of the National Statistical Institute of Mozambique (INE Mozambique), Eliza Mónica Magau. "The IBGE is always mentioned abroad in conversations about the Census, so we have come to the source,” said Eliza Mónica Magau.

Marcio Pochmann, president of the IBGE, spoke about the importance of the Mozambican mission and of the partnership. “The dialogue with the INE directing board is very positive and productive, thus guaranteeing disposition for technical aid in international cooperation provided by the IBGE. In a recent meeting with the directors of the Brazilian Agency of cooperation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the current status of the IBGE was praised, as the Institute has become an international reference in best practices in the fields of statistics and science.”

The representative of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), Nádia Vaz, joined the visitors with the objective of supporting INE Mozambique and “to make sure the counting of the population will be conducted as a high quality operation. We see this meeting between the INE and the IBGE as a partnership that both institutions can benefit from. The IBGE can show the scope of its actions and recognition at international level and INE benefits from a higher quality in enumeration," said Nádia Vaz.

On the first day, representatives of INE Mozambique presented chapters of the plan for the 2027 Census in Mozambique and the Project for the V General Population and Housing Enumeration (RGPH).

“We have always had as a target, based on the establishment of the South-South cooperation, contributing cooperate with Africa, Latin American, and Global Southern countries. Mozambique is implementing a digital Census for the first time, and, as we are experienced in that, we can help them. It is a two-way cooperation, we acquire knowledge and experience, and at the same time the IBGE fulfills its mission regarding international cooperation,” says the IBGE’s International Relations advisor, Roberto Sant’anna.

Luciana Prazeres, advisor for GCOC, reinforced the objective of the Mission, which is to assess the project of the first entirely digital Census of Mozambique. “The visit represents a closer cooperation of the IBGE to support the Census of Mozambique. Also, we also have the project Reference Centers in Cape Verde and Senegal, and a comprehensive assortment of topics and themes regarding the implementation of the digital Census.”

Team from INE Mozambique comments on the importance of the cooperation with the IBGE

The Director of Censuses and Surveys of INE Mozambique, Alexandre Marrupi, explained that a commission from Mozambique had already visited the IBGE in September 2022 for actions of “Observa Censo” (Census Observer) and, in October of the same year, representatives of INE monitored the data collections for the 2022 Census. “This experience is very important for us; Mozambique has already conducted four Censuses, but we adopted an analogical methodology, using paper. The latest edition was the first one with a mixed methodology. For the next edition, in 2027, we want to have a completely digital Census. We have made a draft of the Project and submitted to the IBGE for analysis by their technicians. There has been an enormous contribution from the experts to enrichen our work.”

“We have come here to learn how one can prepare a digital Census in a country that is not entirely digital, and that is the great challenge. We have ideas, but we did not want to execute that without talking to those who have implemented them before. Brazil is experienced, they had the digital Census in 2010 and now in 2022 again. It is a continental country, inside Brazil there are many ‘Mozambiques’, so learning from a country that has such characteristics make us feel more secure. The meeting was characterized by a discussions, we will go back to Mozambique with a lot of information in our hands and our feet on the ground,” stated Arlindo Charles, Head of the Department of Cartography and Operations.

About INE Mozambique

The National Statistical Institute (INE) is a public body of Mozambique responsible for official statistical data for the Republic of Mozambique. Created in 1996, the INE has technical, administrative and financial autonomy.