Sierra Leone, September 15, 2026: Statistics Sierra Leone, with technical support from the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and funding from the Governments of Iceland and Ireland on Tuesday convened a High-Level Joint Census Technical and Advisory Committee Meeting in Freetown.
The meeting reviewed the National Mapping Completion Report, marking a major technical milestone in preparations for the December 2026 Population and Housing Census. It brought together representatives from key government institutions, development partners, political parties, and technical stakeholders to assess nationwide preparedness, review critical technical milestones, and address outstanding priorities ahead of the 2026 census enumeration.
The National Mapping Completion Report presented at the meeting highlighted extensive nationwide spatial coverage, strengthened quality assurance processes, and the validation of locality and structure data. The completion of the mapping exercise provides a critical foundation for ensuring that households, structures, and localities are accurately identified and covered during the 2026 census enumeration.
Accurate mapping is essential to ensuring that no population or geographic area is missed during enumeration. The mapping data will also support the planning and deployment of field teams, improve operational efficiency, and contribute to the production of reliable and comprehensive population data.
Participants also reviewed lessons from the recent Mock Census and assessed systems and arrangements designed to support effective field operations while identifying priority actions to further strengthen readiness ahead of enumeration.
Mr. Kunle Adeniyi, UNFPA Representative in Sierra Leone, said that “investing in census data is one of the highest-yield investments a nation and its partners can make,” noting that reliable population data provide a critical foundation for tracking progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals and advancing national development priorities.
He called for the National Mapping Completion Report to be viewed as a roadmap towards a shared future, one in which every individual is counted, every community is visible, and policy and investment decisions are guided by reliable, timely, and credible evidence.
Also speaking, Mr. Andrew Bob Johnny, Statistician General and Chief Executive Officer of Statistics Sierra Leone, said, the mapping exercise has“provided a geographic foundation for the Census, helping us define enumeration areas, deploy field teams, supervise the exercise, and ensure that no household or community is left behind.’
Participants, including representatives of civil society organizations and political parties, commended the inclusive and consultative process leading to the presentation of the National Cartographic Mapping Completion Report. They welcomed the progress made and emphasized the importance of continued stakeholder engagement in strengthening confidence in the census process.