As part of its efforts to make the Decennial Population and Housing Census as inclusive and people-centered as possible, Statistics Sierra Leone (Stats SL) has simultaneously and successfully engaged local and traditional authorities on the planned Decennial Population and Housing Census, at regional and district levels across the country.
The engagement, attended by Paramount Chiefs, Mayors, representatives from MDAs, Security Sector, Civil Society, youth groups, the media, to name some, was meant to provide comprehensive overview of the 2025 Decennial Population and Housing Census process and its importance to national development, underscoring the critical role of key stakeholders in ensuring a smooth and cooperative environment for the census process, and foster collaboration among government agencies, local authorities, civil society organizations and other key partners across the 16 districts of the country. Most importantly, the engagement served as a platform for establishing, reviewing the composition, and adopting the Term of Reference (ToR) of the District Census Management Committees (DCMC).
The formation of the District Census Management Committees focuses on promoting ownership and control of the census processes at the district level by traditional and local authorities.
The DCMC will execute, among others, the following responsibilities: monitor and report progress of all census activities, conduct and promote community sensitization and awareness raising campaigns, provide oversight for census management and institutional frameworks mandated to support census implementation, resolve arising conflicts and complaints from the census operations, and ensure security of census materials and data.
Speaking at the Western Area Rural District engagement, which took place at Waterloo, the Minister of Planning and Economic Development, Kenyeh Ballay, informed participants of the steps and processes undertaken so far, including the formation of the Advisory, Technical and Publicity committees at the National level.
She informed participants of the visit of an international assessment mission from the US Census Bureau, UN–ECA and UNFPA–New York, to Sierra Leone in January this year, to gauge preparedness and overall readiness for the census.
She furthered that based on the recommendations of the assessment team, the census has been postponed to December 2026 so that processes critical for the successful conduct of the census can guaranteed.
The attendees of the engagement expressed confidence in the census process and thanked Stats SL for considering them as important and key actors. They pledged their fullest support and cooperation to the census and promised to persuade their subjects to participate and contribute to a successful and accurate Decennial Population and Housing Census.
Stats SL is fully committed to delivering a record-breaking Digital Population and Housing Census for the people of Sierra Leone.
Credit: Stats SL Comms & PR Div.
