Ireland Embassy, Saint Joseph’s Avenue, Off Spur Road, Freetown
30th June 2025
As part of ongoing efforts to coordinate international partner support for the successful implementation of the 2026 Decennial Population and Housing Census (PHC ’26), Statistics- Sierra Leone (Stats- SL) held a strategic engagement with the Embassy of Ireland in Sierra Leone.
The high-level meeting was attended by:
* Mr. Andrew Bob Johnny, Statistician-General, Stats SL
* Ms. Carol Hannon, Head of Development- Irish Embassy
* Ms. Sibeso Mululuma, Officer-in-Charge- UNFPA Sierra Leone
* Mr. Abdulai Salliah Brima, National Census Coordinator & Director of Censuses & GIS- Stats SL
* Mr. Edouard Talnan, Chief Technical Adviser- PHC ’26
* Mr. Alfred Kamanda, Director of Finance- Stats SL
* Mr. Samuel Palmer, Quality Assurance- UNFPA Sierra Leone
* Mr. Samuel Ansumana, Director of Communications & Public Relations- Stats SL
Mr. Johnny provided a comprehensive and transparent update on the preparations for the 2026 Census. He highlighted the Government of Sierra Leone’s financial commitment of over $22 million, which covers critical areas such as cartographic mapping, census publicity, procurement of IT infrastructure, and general planning and logistics.
However, he also pointed out a funding gap of $15 million and appealed to the international donor community and private sector to support such an essential national effort.
Responding to the briefing, Ms. Carol Hannon emphasized the critical role of data in national development, reaffirming the census as a foundational tool for producing reliable and comprehensive data sets. She expressed optimism for future collaboration and pledged to revert to Stats- SL on possible technical or financial support from Ireland.
Ms. Sibeso Mululuma of UNFPA echoed such a sentiment, stressing the importance of in-kind and technical contributions, particularly from Ireland’s national statistical agency, in ensuring the census meets international standards.
She reaffirmed UNFPA’s full commitment to coordinating and managing all donor-related support for the process.
The meeting concluded on a promising note, with shared enthusiasm and commitment towards delivering a successful 2026 Decennial Population and Housing Census.
Credit: Stats SL Comms & PR Unit
