By: Fatmata Grace Okekearu, Bo City
Statistics Sierra Leone has successfully concluded a seven-day intensive regional training for cartographic mappers at the Bo District Council Hall, Falaba Section, in Bo.
According to Samuel Ansumana, Communications and Public Relations Director at Statistics Sierra Leone, the training aimed to equip cartographers with the necessary skills and knowledge in preparation for the country’s upcoming 2026 Population and Housing Census. He described the training as an “eye-opener,” creating an enabling environment for participants to perform effectively and meet national expectations.
Explaining the importance of the training, Ansumana highlighted that cartographic mapping involves dividing the country into smaller enumeration areas for census purposes. He emphasized that the training exposed participants to modern digitized systems used in cartographic mapping, ensuring both accuracy and efficiency in the census preparation process.
Ansumana also revealed that the training is taking place simultaneously across all five regions of Sierra Leone. Upon completion, the trained enumerators will be deployed to various enumeration areas to conduct fieldwork. District-level training sessions will also begin soon, targeting local residents from each district.
In his closing remarks, Francis Cobba, Officer in Charge for the Southern Region at Statistics Sierra Leone, encouraged participants to take the training seriously. He stressed that the task ahead is a national responsibility of great importance. Cobba urged participants to apply the knowledge gained diligently, reminding them that accurate census data is critical for national planning and development.