By Hassan Osman Kargbo
Statistics Sierra Leone in collaboration with the Ministry of Health has commenced preparations for the Sierra Leone Demographic and Health Survey 2026 (SLDHS 2026) with a questionnaire review and adaptation workshop held on Tuesday 10 March 2026 at the Swiss Hotel on Spur Road in Freetown.
The event brought together government officials, development partners, technical experts and stakeholders to deliberate on the design and implementation of the upcoming nationwide survey, which is expected to provide updated data on key health and population indicators.
In his opening remarks, the Acting Statistician General of Statistics Sierra Leone, Lansana Kpeworo Kanneh, described the workshop as a critical step in ensuring the success of the survey. He said the Demographic and Health Survey remains one of the most important tools for generating reliable data used for national planning and policy development.
Kanneh noted that Statistics Sierra Leone has recently completed several major data collection exercises, including imaging equipment surveys and the second phase of cartographic mapping, which will support the implementation of the SLDHS.
“With all these data becoming available in the coming months, it gives us many opportunities to analyze social and demographic trends in the country,” he said.
He emphasized that the current workshop focuses on reviewing and adapting standardized questionnaires developed under the global Demographic and Health Survey programme to reflect Sierra Leone’s specific context.
According to him, participants are expected to carefully review the questionnaires over the next few days to ensure that the questions align with national priorities while maintaining international standards.
“This is essentially the stage where we must get it right. If we do the wrong thing now it will affect the entire process,” Kanneh warned.
He encouraged participants to remain focused throughout the workshop so that by the end of the process an adapted questionnaire would be ready for the data collection phase of the survey.
Speaking on behalf of the Ministry of Health, Dr Tom Sesay said the country has already made significant progress in planning the survey despite earlier challenges that affected the programme globally.
He explained that the dismantling of certain United States aid programmes initially disrupted preparations for the survey, but support from development partners helped revive the process.
“Fortunately we have strong partners such as UN agencies and ICF who continue to support this important exercise,” Dr Sesay said.
He stressed the importance of independent technical partners to ensure credibility and global comparability of the data collected.
“You cannot be the player and the referee at the same time. That is why it is important to have technical partners who will ensure that the methods and technologies used are globally validated,” he added.
Dr Sesay noted that the survey will generate data on several health indicators including maternal and child health, immunization, family planning, tuberculosis and other public health concerns.
The findings, he said, will help government and development partners assess progress towards national development goals and the Sustainable Development Goals.
Lead Survey Management Specialist of the DHS Program at ICF, Dr Sara Scates, expressed appreciation for the warm reception and reaffirmed the organization’s commitment to supporting Sierra Leone in implementing the survey.
She revealed that the global DHS programme recently faced significant financial uncertainty after losing nearly 80 percent of its funding following the restructuring of US aid programmes.
However, she said support from donors including the Gates Foundation and participating countries has helped sustain the programme.
“This is the beginning of a long journey and I look forward to working with all of you over the next year and a half to bring this survey to fruition,” Dr Scates said.
Director of DHS Statistics at Statistics Sierra Leone, Mohamed Kbalo Kamara, also explained that preparations for the activity began in December 2024 but experienced delays due to global funding challenges.
Kamara said the current workshop provides an opportunity for experts from different sectors to review changes that have occurred since the last survey conducted in 2019.
He noted that issues such as new vaccines, updated health indicators and lessons from previous data collection challenges will be considered during the adaptation process.
According to him, the goal is to produce a standardized questionnaire that reflects current realities and supports effective national planning.
The workshop is expected to continue for several days as technical experts review the survey instruments before the next phase of the SLDHS 2026 implementation begins.
