Post Enumeration Surveys (PES) are increasingly being used in Sub-Sahara Africa as tools for evaluating quality of census data. Use of PES methodology to evaluate census data is not new in the Region. The first PES was undertaken in 1960 in Ghana and, during the 1980 Round of Census, a total of 15 countries, out of 47, included PES in their census programme. In the 2000 Round of Census, the number of countries having a PES as part of the census programme had more than doubled, although only a handful were successful in terms of producing useful results, which raised concerns as to whether PES’s are worth undertaking.

This paper focuses on experiences of conducting PES’s in Sub-Sahara Africa. The issues highlighted include; sampling design, PES field and office activities, lessons learned and the way forward for the Africa region. Specific PES experiences and lessons learned from Tanzania and Uganda are provided.

Paper presented at the 57th Session of the International Statistical Institute (ISI), Durban (South Africa), August 2009.