By: Fatmata Grace Okekearu, Bo City
In preparation for the successful conduct of the 2026 Population and Housing Census, Statistics Sierra Leone (Stats SL) on Tuesday, October 28, 2025, held a one-day regional stakeholder engagement with paramount chiefs, district officers, and local council representatives from across the Southern Region. The event, which took place at the Bo District Council Hall in Falaba Section, Bo City, aimed to strengthen collaboration with traditional authorities, whose participation is considered crucial to the success of the national census.
Delivering the keynote address, the Statistician-General and Chief Census Officer, Mr. Andrew Bob Johnny, reaffirmed the government’s commitment to conducting a credible, transparent, and inclusive census. Speaking under the national theme and slogan “Leh Den Kont You Oh…”, he underscored the importance of the census as a national development tool, rather than a mere data collection exercise.
“The outcome of the 2026 Census will guide the government in determining how resources and development opportunities are equitably distributed across districts and chiefdoms,” Mr. Johnny stated. He called on paramount chiefs to take ownership of the process by educating their communities on the importance of participation and ensuring that no one is left uncounted.
Mr. Johnny further highlighted the significance of the ongoing cartographic mapping, which involves identifying and recording every residential and institutional structure nationwide. He noted that the active participation of paramount chiefs would help foster trust, promote community involvement, and ensure that all settlements are accurately captured during the mapping exercise.
In his remarks, the Deputy Minister of Local Government and Community Affairs, Hon. Alfred Moi Jamiru, described paramount chiefs as indispensable partners in the success of national programs such as the census.
“As custodians of their lands and people, paramount chiefs possess the authority and influence to mobilize their communities effectively,” he said. “That is why our ministry, in partnership with Statistics Sierra Leone, has chosen to engage them first so that sensitization begins at the grassroots level.”
The Resident Minister South, Chief John Abu, also commended Statistics Sierra Leone for adopting an inclusive approach that prioritizes the involvement of traditional leaders. He emphasized that the participation of paramount chiefs would not only enhance the credibility of the census but also ensure that the exercise reaches every corner of the country.
“Paramount chiefs are the backbone of local governance, and without their support, no national program can achieve its full impact,” Chief Abu stated, pledging the government’s continued support to ensure the census is effectively conducted.
Other speakers, including representatives from the Ministry of Local Government, the Bo District Council, and the Council of Paramount Chiefs, made meaningful contributions and renewed their commitment to supporting the census process. They pledged to facilitate community awareness campaigns and provide easy access to mapping teams working within their chiefdoms.
As part of efforts to enhance public sensitization, each paramount chief received a megaphone and a sum of One Thousand New Leones (NLe 1,000) to assist in mobilizing communities and disseminating census information through town criers and local engagements.
Participants at the meeting expressed their appreciation to Statistics Sierra Leone for its proactive and inclusive strategy, pledging to work closely with the institution to ensure that every household and individual in their respective chiefdoms is counted.
The Bo engagement marked a significant step in building stronger partnerships between the government and traditional leaders. It laid a solid foundation for a credible, transparent, and inclusive 2026 Population and Housing Census an exercise that is expected to shape Sierra Leone’s development priorities and policies for the next decade.