A former Statistician-General at the Namibia Statistics Agency says Namibia's inability to conduct a timely census may negatively affect planning due to a lack of accurate data.

Dr. John Steytler was referring to the cancellation of the census due to a lack of funds and the outdated household income and expenditure survey, which was last conducted six years ago.

The former economic advisor to President Hage Geingob says planning should start at a basic level, targeting vulnerable members of society instead of using macro-economic modalities such as inflation or interest rates to curb inter-generational poverty.

Dr. Steytler says if demographic and economic data sets meet, powerful planning tools can be developed for society.

He says issues such as age profiles, migration patterns, life expectancy, mortality, and fertility ratios cannot be overemphasized for long-term planning.

Meanwhile, High Economic Intelligence economist Salomo Hei predicts that Namibia's inflation will continue for the foreseeable future.

Hei also says Namibia's currency is undervalued mainly due to its peg with the South African rand, which in turn increases the cost of living and inflation.

The two were speaking at a Windhoek event aimed at shedding light on inflation and demographics.