An evaluation of population and housing censuses conducted in Africa identified the following weaknesses: lack of an analytical plan; essentially descriptive analyses; lack of an effective strategy for disseminating results; long delays between the end of the enumeration and the publication of results; low utilization of data and high costs in relation to the products obtained. This paper proposes strategies for improving the use of population and housing census data for: the design, monitoring and evaluation of economic and social development programs.