Assurances from the government and key players in the ongoing counting operation were given on April 29, 2026, during a joint press briefing in Yaoundé.
We know a little more about the 4th general census of population and housing coupled with the general census of agriculture and livestock launched in Cameroon on April 24, 2026. The government and key players in this vast counting operation presented the main issues last Wednesday.
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The Minister of Communication, René Emmanuel Sadi, the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Gabriel Mbairobe, and the Minister of Livestock, Fisheries and Animal Industries as well as the Director General of the Central Bureau of Census and Population Studies (Bucrep) Bernadette Françoise Mbarga, provided more details and assurances about the operation.
It should be noted, among other things, that the 4th general population census will deliver its report in five months. Measures have been taken in the digital age so that data collection and transmission are done in record time. On this subject, the Director General of Bucrep assures that the use of smartphones allows direct transmission of data to servers in Yaoundé. In addition, a preliminary survey conducted before the field exercise helps refine the data.
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The operation in its agriculture and livestock component will result in a mapping of farms and herds. The availability of this mapping will be an important step to provide emergency responses to the food problems the country is experiencing. One of these problems lies in the insufficiency of food resources which leads to massive export of products. The Minister of Agriculture recalls that the importation of corn, rice, and fish cost Cameroon more than 600 billion CFA francs in 2024.
With a total cost of 13 billion CFA francs, including seven billion financed by the World Bank, the 4th general census will run from April 24 to May 29, 2026. In 35 days, it mobilizes at least 32,000 census agents whose remuneration will be paid via mobile phone operators. While operations are ongoing in the field, key players are expected to respect the indicated deadlines, namely the publication of the results of this census within the next five months.
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