Secretariat

The NPC shall be serviced by a Secretariat which shall act as a focal point in the formulation and management of population programmes and activities throughout the country. The Secretariat shall facilitate, monitor, co-ordinate and evaluate the implementation of the policy and programmes, foster functional linkages among sectoral ministries, institutions and agencies and harmonise the work of the NPC at the national, regional and district levels. The Secretariat shall be headed by the Executive Director who will be Member/Secretary to the NPC. The Executive Director is appointed under section 10 of Act 485.

Functions of the Secretariat

  • Provide technical and administrative support to the NPC and its advisory committees.
  • Undertake population policy research and analysis of the identified and emerging population issues and to prepare appropriate population programmes and activities for them.
  • Promote, co-ordinate and harmonise population activities including family planning programmes and services in the country.
  • Promote and co-ordininate comprehensive population, information, education and communication policies and strategies.
  • Establish and operationalize a national programme for research, monitoringand evaluation of population policies and programmes and to develop a national population data bank to facilitate the exchange and dissemination of population related information.
  • Identify, develop and implement the requisite human and resource needs for population programmes.
  • Provide guidelines for various components of the population programmes with a view to ensuring their consistency within the frameworks of a National Development Plan.
  • Prepare annually a working programme and budget for the consideration and approval of the NPC.
  • Publish annually a regular population report and a quarterly population newsletter
  • Serve as the national public relations agency on population issues affecting the country and provide background materials on population to agencies that need them.
  • Promote the integration of population factors in development planning.
  • Liaise with donor agencies with the view to regulating and co-ordinating the forms and levels of internal and external resource mobilization and distribution for purposes of population and development programmes and activities.
  • Generally, coordinate the formulation and implementation of the population policy and programmes within the country.
  • To carry out any other functions, which may be assigned by the NPC towards the achievement of the population goals and objectives of the nation