By: Saidu Jalloh
Statistics Sierra Leone (Stats SL) on Monday, October 26, 2026, commenced its Training of Trainers (ToT) programme for the 2026 Population and Housing Census in Freetown, with Statistician General Andrew Bob Johnny urging participants to demonstrate a thorough understanding of census procedures to ensure accurate and reliable data collection nationwide.
Speaking at the commencement of the training, Johnny described the programme as a critical stage in the preparations for the national census, emphasizing that the quality of the exercise would depend largely on how effectively trainers prepare enumerators and supervisors for their responsibilities in the field.
He said participants must master the census questionnaire, understand the methodology and demonstrate proficiency in operating Android tablets, which will be used to collect household information digitally.
According to him, the training followed a ten-day master training programme that concluded at Family Kingdom on Friday, October 23, bringing together university lecturers, researchers and other participants expected to support the next phase of census preparations.
Johnny urged participants to pay close attention to facilitators, ask questions whenever they encounter difficulties and participate actively in practical sessions to ensure they can confidently explain the questionnaire and demonstrate the use of digital devices.
He disclosed that each trainer could be responsible for teaching approximately 50 to 60 people and warned that inadequate preparation could affect the quality of training provided to enumerators and supervisors.
“This is very serious business,” he told participants, describing the ten-day programme as a short but crucial period for acquiring the knowledge and skills required to prepare census personnel effectively.
The Statistician General further disclosed that the training of enumerators and supervisors was scheduled to begin on November 7, 2026, ahead of the nationwide data collection exercise.
Providing an update on preparations, Johnny said nationwide cartographic mapping and the mock census had been completed. He also announced that Stats SL had received an additional 25,000 tablets, bringing the total number of tablets available for the exercise to 30,000.
He noted that the successful implementation of the census would require adequate logistical preparation, a well-trained workforce and effective coordination among the various personnel involved.
Johnny also acknowledged the support of the Government of Sierra Leone and development partners, particularly the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), for their contributions to resource mobilization, logistics and technical assistance, including the engagement of the census’s Chief Technical Adviser.
He explained that the census would count people who slept within Sierra Leone on the night of December 1, 2026, with the actual counting exercise scheduled to begin on December 2.
Beyond determining the country’s population, the exercise will collect demographic, socioeconomic and housing information to support government planning, policymaking, resource allocation and national development priorities over the following decade.
Johnny said the questionnaire would cover household size, population characteristics, education, health and housing conditions, with interviews potentially lasting between 45 minutes and one hour.
He therefore urged trainers to ensure that enumerators understood each question and could navigate the Android tablets correctly to obtain complete and reliable information from households across the country.
Meanwhile, Stats SL Director of Communication Samuel Ansumana said the Training of Trainers programme followed the training of 129 master trainers and was designed to prepare personnel who would subsequently train enumerators and supervisors nationwide.
Ansumana explained that the training was being conducted simultaneously in different locations, including the Southern and Eastern regions, to ensure consistent preparation and smooth implementation of the census training programme.
He described the programme as a vital link in the census preparation process, noting that trainers would be responsible for transferring the knowledge and skills required for successful household data collection.
He warned that if trainers failed to understand census concepts, methodology and digital applications, they could pass incorrect information to enumerators and supervisors, potentially undermining the quality of the exercise.
Ansumana said Stats SL would conduct rigorous assessments at the end of the ten-day training to establish whether participants had adequately understood the procedures, methodology and technological requirements of the census.
He added that the assessments would help determine whether trainers were sufficiently prepared to transfer the necessary knowledge and practical skills to field personnel before data collection begins.
The Director of Communication also disclosed that approximately 1,400 personnel had been trained nationwide as part of the census preparations, following the earlier master training programme.
He stressed that the success of the census would depend not only on the availability of tablets and personnel but also on the ability of trainers to prepare fieldworkers to collect accurate information from households.
The 2026 Population and Housing Census is expected to generate essential data to guide government policies, development programmes and resource allocation across Sierra Leone until the next decennial census, expected in 2036.