Census of Economic Activities (CEA) 2016-2017
National Statistical Office (NSO) carried out the first Census of Economic Activities (CEA) in Malawi from October 2018 to April 2019. CEA report provides detailed information on the economic activities of small, medium, and large scale enterprises in the country. The indicators compiled from CEA include employment, expenditure, turnover, assets, and liabilities.
The objectives of CEA were:- (i) to provide a comprehensive frame of establishments for all economic surveys, which will be updated from time to time, (ii) to measure the full value-added (GDP) of the Malawian economy, (iii) to provide data which will enable the NSO to compile a full set of national accounts (input-output tables, Gross Fixed Capital formation, Investment, etc), (iv) to measure the true extent of investment in Malawi; both foreign and domestic, (v) to provide a basis for the production and rebasing of different kinds of Economic Statistics (Producer Price Index, Index of Industrial Production, etc.)
This report has been arranged in six chapters. Chapter one provides background information to the CEA including the introduction/background characteristics, objectives, and coverage of the Census. Chapter two explains the methodology of the survey and this includes a selection of enterprises, data collection process, data processing, concepts, and definitions. Chapters three, four, and five present the Census findings.
CEA has been successful because of the co-operation of various business enterprises that supplied the requested information. Their co-operation in this exercise is greatly appreciated.