Chad’s long-awaited census meets logistical hurdles as citizens seek a platform for grievances
More than fifteen years after its last headcount, Chad has begun rolling out its third General Population and Housing Census, an exercise that residents in several regions are treating as more than a statistical formality. The operation, designated RGPH-3, was officially launched in late June and represents the country’s first attempt to enumerate every household since 2009. For many Chadians, particularly those in remote districts, the census is also being seen as a rare opening to make local grievances visible to the central authorities.
A long-overdue count
The scale of the gap between the two exercises underscores how outdated baseline demographic data had become. A census conducted over the course of more than a decade prior to RGPH-3 would normally be considered overdue, and in Chad’s case the absence of fresh figures has made planning for public services and infrastructure a difficult task for local administrators. Authorities have framed the new census as a tool to support better governance and more equitable distribution of public investment.
Access challenges in remote areas
On the ground, however, the operation has run into the kind of logistical problems that often complicate large-scale surveys in landlocked, sparsely populated countries. In parts of western Chad, including areas around the town of Massaguet, enumerators have struggled to reach isolated communities because of poor road conditions and the sheer distances involved. Some residents, unwilling to risk being left out of the count, have begun making the trip to nearby towns themselves to be registered, underscoring both their determination to be included and the limits of door-to-door outreach in hard-to-access zones.
A chance to be heard
Beyond the technical exercise of counting people, many Chadians appear to view the census as an opportunity to draw attention to shortcomings in essential services. The hope expressed in several communities is that being formally enumerated will lend weight to long-standing demands, since local officials have sometimes been reluctant to act on problems in villages that do not appear on official registers.
What success would mean
If the census reaches the bulk of the population despite current obstacles, the resulting data could reshape how Chad plans for the future. Updated population figures are expected to inform how the country allocates resources and delivers public services. For ordinary citizens, the more immediate hope is simpler: that being counted will translate into tangible improvements in the daily services they have long been requesting from the state.
For now, the operation remains underway, with census teams working against time and terrain to ensure that every Chadian household, however remote, has the chance to be included.
Source: FRANCE 24 — read the original report.
