By Alvin Lansana Kargbo

Statistics Sierra Leone (Stats SL) has officially commenced its Regional Cartographic Mapping Training for Trainers, marking a major step in preparations for the 2026 Population and Housing Census.

The week-long program, which began on Monday, 8th September 2025, is taking place simultaneously in the five regional headquarter towns: Bo, Kenema, Makeni, Port Loko and Freetown (Western Area).

Speaking in an interview at the Western Area Training at Hotel 5-10 in Freetown, Statistician General and Chief Census Officer, Andrew Bob Johnny, explained that the exercise is designed as a Training of Trainers programme. The participants will later train district-level staff who will conduct the cartographic mapping, the first and most critical phase of the census. The mapping process is expected to last about seven months, following a 10-day training for district staff before they are deployed to the field.

He stressed that credible data collection is vital for national development, beginning with trainers and field teams understanding their roles and upholding strict ethical standards. The Statistician General and Chief Census Officer urged field staff to remain transparent, fair and respectful when engaging citizens as the data collected will be crucial for effective planning and policymaking.

He highlighted the importance of census data across multiple sectors, including health, agriculture and education. The mapping exercise, he said, will capture geo-coordinates of schools, health facilities and other community resources, while also gathering related indicators such as school enrollments, infrastructure availability and agricultural activities. That information will guide Government and development partners in allocating resources where they are most needed.

Looking ahead, he said the mapping outputs will produce enumeration area maps, which will help ensure comprehensive coverage by guiding enumerators to specific locations. Once data is collected, detailed reports will be shared with Government, NGOs and development partners to support decision-making.

He also noted that Stats SL has fully transitioned to digital data collection moving away from paper-based processes. With support from Government and partners, the institution has invested in servers, applications such as ESRI and geo apps and Android tablets to modernize statistical operations.

He concluded by appealing to citizens to cooperate with field staff, expected to be deployed from September to October, to ensure a successful census.

Also speaking, Abdulai Salia Brima, Director of Census System, Geographic Information System Statistics and National Census Coordinator, described the training as a crucial pre-census activity. He explained that the program is aimed at dividing the country into manageable enumeration areas to ease logistics planning and determine enumerators’ workloads.

Abdulai Salia Brima revealed that around 218 trainees are participating nationwide including about 44 master trainers in the Western Area. He noted that the program spans 17 days, with the first seven days dedicated to intensive modules covering cartographic techniques, technology use, monitoring and evaluation and data quality management.

He added that selection for the training was competitive, with daily assessments to ensure only the best candidates progress to district-level training. The  Director of Census System stressed the importance of discipline and punctuality, particularly given the challenges posed by the rainy season.

He assured the public that Government has invested heavily in the process and Stats SL is determined to deliver a credible census that will stand as a foundation for Sierra Leone’s development planning.

The commencement of the Regional Cartographic Mapping Training marks a decisive step in Sierra Leone’s journey toward the 2026 Population and Housing Census. By equipping trainers with the necessary skills and tools, Statistics Sierra Leone is laying the foundation for credible, transparent and technology-driven data collection. https://thecalabashnewspaper.com/stats-sl-commences-nationwide-training-for-2026-population-and-housing-census/