The results of the third Population and Housing Census were officially presented in Yaounde yesterday.
Projected from the results obtained from the third Population and Housing Census of November, 2005 and based on the average demographic growth rate of 2.6 per cent, Cameroon’s population as at January 01, 2010 stands at 19,406,100.

This figure was revealed to an anxious population yesterday at the Yaounde Hilton by the Minister Delegate at the Ministry of the Economy, Planning and Regional Development, Yaouba Abdoulaye in a solemn ceremony presided at by the Vice Prime Minister, Minister of Justice and Keeper of the Seals, Amadou Ali. The results translates what the Resident Representative of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) described as “scientific rigour and unreserved professionalism.”

From every indication and to go by the UNFPA official, the exercise was conducted in maximum respect of the regulations set by the UN. Cameroon, he said, is one of the 50 countries, 20 from Africa, that have benefited from UNFPA support in population and housing headcount. “No census in the world can deceive everyone”, he said, stating the exercise in itself counts on everyone.

Contrary to tradition where such ceremonies are often marked by long speeches, some of which rain praises on the actors, yesterday’s event was that of action in the direction of all expectations. What the population that turned out wanted to know was, how many people are there in Cameroon. How is the population partitioned in the ten regions of the country and probably the sex distribution among others? Answers to these questions were immediately provided when the Minister Delegate got up and instead of reading a speech, went straight to the point.

After making a run down of the steps followed in the conduct of the headcount, and recalling that the results to be announced follows a scrutiny of the sixth National Census Council, he said, “let me now declare the results.” “The population of Cameroon as at January 01, 2010 is 19,406,100.” No applause from the population. Was it probably because the figure did not differ very much from projections pronounced in many officially speeches already known by many Cameroonians? Was it because each member of the population in the hall was anxious to know how many people are in their regions?

As if to provide another answer to their expectations, Yaouba Abdoulaye said, “the population is distributed in the ten regions as follows”: Adamawa, 1,015,622, Centre, 3,525,664, East, 801,968, Far North, 3,480,414, Littoral, 2,865,795, North, 2,050,229, North West, 1,804,695, West, 1,785,285, South, 692,142, South West, 1,384,286. The results indicate that women form 50.5 percent while 52 per cent of the population lives in the urban centres.

The ceremony ended with a visit of the photo exhibition on how the headcount was conducted.