By Ibrahim Sesay 

Statistics Sierra Leone (Stats SL), on Wednesday September 3, held an Advisory Committee meeting at the New Brookfields Hotel to update stakeholders on progress made towards the 2026 Population and Housing Census and to request continued support for the process.

In his welcome address, the Statistician General of Stats-SL, Andrew Bob Johnny, reaffirmed Stats SL’s commitment to transparency, stressing that the Advisory Committee remains pivotal to ensuring credibility and inclusiveness in the census process. “We are here to present to you the outcomes of the technical committee meeting and provide an update on the status of the 2026 census,” he said, adding that the Deputy Statistician General would deliver a detailed presentation on past achievements, current progress and upcoming activities.

The UNFPA Representative, Dr. Edward Talnan, who also serves as the Chief Technical Advisor for the census, reminded the committee of their role in ensuring the process succeeds. He said the 2026 census will strengthen Sierra Leone’s data ecosystem and serve as a master sampling frame for future surveys. He also pledged UNFPA’s continued support to Stats SL.

The Deputy Statistician General, Lansana Kanneh, presented updates on key activities. He reported that the pilot cartographic mapping exercise has been completed in four districts, with lessons learned being used to refine census methodologies. He also announced that the pilot census will be conducted in December 2025, one year before the main census in December 2026.

Lansana Kanneh added that the pilot will test the methodology and instruments under the same conditions expected for the nationwide enumeration in December 2026. “These activities, including the data producers’ and users’ conference, are geared towards ensuring stakeholder voices are reflected in the final census instruments,” he emphasized.

On communication and publicity, Lansana Kanneh noted that Stats SL has maintained awareness campaigns despite earlier postponements. He further mentioned that Stats-SL is working closely with the Ministry of Information and Civic Education and international partners to finalize the census communication strategy, slogans and logos. He assured that outreach efforts will be intensified to minimize misinformation and promote public confidence in the exercise.

Despite these achievements, Lansana Kanneh disclosed that funding remains a challenge. While the Government of Sierra Leone has committed $24 million, with donors contributing about $233,917, a financing gap of approximately $13 million persists. “Government has done significantly well to support our activities but we must also mobilize additional resources to avoid a repeat of the challenges experienced in 2021,” he warned.

During the discussion segment, the Executive Director of Coalition of Civil Society and Human Rights Activists raised concerns regarding the huge deficit in the budget stressing that the conduct of a successful census relied heavily on the availability of the required resources whether technical or financial.

The meeting brought together Government officials, development partners, civil society representatives and other stakeholders, who reaffirmed their commitment to supporting a credible, transparent, and inclusive 2026 Population and Housing Census. https://thecalabashnewspaper.com/statistics-sierra-leone-engages-stakeholders-on-roadmap-to-2026-population-and-housing-census/