November 29, 2021
By: James Kamara-Manneh
President Julius Maada Bio in a nationwide address declared a two weeks digital census to be conducted by Statistic Sierra Leone on the 10th-23rd December, 2021. President Julius Maada Bio made this declaration paving the way for what will be the first ever digital census to be conducted by the country.
“This will be the first-ever digital census in Sierra Leone. Our country will thus join other African nations like Ghana, Kenya, Ethiopia and Liberia in using technology and digitalization to conduct a census,” he discloses.
It could be recalled that the President made an initial declaration in July 2020 to conduct the Mid-Term Population and Housing Census which was to be held in December 2020. It was however postponed to 2021 due to the global effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
President Bio added that during the census exercise, Statistics Sierra Leone will collect administrative, demographic, social, and economic information on all persons; the reason being is for the government to have an idea on the actual population of individual in the country and their locations.
“By knowing where people live, what their living conditions are, and what development challenges they face, my government and development partners can better plan and implement investments in their communities” said the President.
In his speech, the President stated three reasons that the conduct of the census will correct the anomalies of the 2015 Population and Housing Census; that it will provide credible and reliable data that will help plan, implement, and monitor development interventions by the Government of Sierra Leone and our development partners in respect of the current Medium-Term National Development Plan 2019-2023 and the follow up national Plan; and that it help prepare us for the next Population and Housing Census.
To effectively conduct the first ever digital census that will capture the entire country, President Bio said that Statistics Sierra Leone has completed and updated digital cartographic maps, conducted a digital pilot census to gain experience and learn lessons, and set up solid technological infrastructure and processes for managing data.
He added that Statistics Sierra Leone has also recruited and will soon commence the training of 15,000 field staff, including enumerators, supervisors, IT, and administrative support staff.
The President extends appreciation to both Local and international partners for their tremendous contributions towards his government, and also appreciate the efforts of Civil Society Organizations and the media.
He concluded by calling on the citizens to actively participate in the forthcoming census activity.