By: Audrey Raymonda John
Statistics Sierra Leone (Stats SL) has held a stakeholder sensitization meeting in Koindu, the headquarter town of Kissy Teng Chiefdom, to raise awareness about the ongoing Pilot Cartographic Mapping exercise in preparation for the 2026 Population and Housing Census.
The meeting brought together a wide range of stakeholders including Paramount Chief Emmanuel Sahr Ganawah, the five Section Chiefs from Konio, Bumasadu, Lela, Kundu, and Torli, Hon. Ing. Fallah Kenewah Tengbeh, Member of Parliament for the area, and representatives from the Office of National Security (ONS), Sierra Leone Police, and Republic of Sierra Leone Armed Forces (RSLAF). Also in attendance were the chiefdom speaker, Mammy Queen, youth and women leaders, and the bike riders’ union.
In his welcome address, Chief Elliot Fayah Foryoh expressed the chiefdom’s full support for the mapping initiative. “The mappers are more than welcome and will be given every necessary support to carry out their work,” he said.
Hon. Fallah Kenewah Tengbeh, MP for Kissy Teng, welcomed the chiefdom’s inclusion in the pilot phase and called for robust collaboration and community engagement. “We must ensure that our people understand and support the cartography process. I will continue to rally our stakeholders to ensure full cooperation,” he pledged.
Paramount Chief Emmanuel Sahr Ganawah echoed the importance of the mapping effort but raised concern about the disputed border town of Yenga, which is currently under the control of Guinean forces. “Will Yenga still be mapped as part of our chiefdom?” he asked.
Silleh Bah, Principal Statistician and Cartographer at Stats SL, reassured the gathering that Yenga is officially recognized as part of Sierra Leone. “Yenga, which is approximately 2.5 miles from Koindu, will be mapped accordingly,” he said.
He added that while physical access to Yenga remains restricted, high-resolution ESRI satellite imagery would be used to collect updated data on buildings and infrastructure in the town. “If ground access is not possible, we will project Yenga’s population and features using satellite data. However, we remain hopeful that the boundary issue will be resolved in time,” Mr. Bah added.
Samuel Ansumana, Director of Communications and Public Relations at Stats SL, emphasized the need for local engagement and participation. “This meeting aims to ensure broad-based awareness and community buy-in. We encourage local leaders to help disseminate information and identify the best communication channels to reach everyone in the chiefdom,” he said.
Traditional authorities, youth representatives, women’s groups, and other community leaders emphasized the need for ongoing sensitization efforts throughout the mapping process. They highlighted that local involvement is crucial to ensure accurate data collection and to build trust ahead of the 2026 Census.
The Pilot Cartographic Mapping is a preliminary exercise to collect geographic data in preparation for the national census. It is currently being conducted in four strategically selected areas:
Kissy Teng Chiefdom – a disputed border region
Dema Chiefdom – an area with hard-to-reach terrain
Mara Chiefdom – a rural and easily accessible location
Freetown East 3 – an urban and highly accessible area
The goal of the pilot is to test mapping tools and methods, identify field challenges, and train mapping teams. The insights gained will guide the national rollout of the census mapping process.