By Alieu Amara Suwu
Statistics Sierra Leone’s (Stats SL) Advisory Committee has on Tuesday, 1 October 2024, held an inaugural advisory Committee meeting on the 2025 Population and Housing Census (PHC).
The Committee met at the New Brookfields Hotel to make a holistic presentation on the 2025 PHU, to review and adopt the terms of reference, and to review and adopt the composition of the Census Advisory Committee, which is comprised of 19 representatives from various institutions.
The Committee’s terms of reference as adopted are to formulate census policies and advise the census secretariat, provide leadership in resource mobilization, review all the technical works and give clearance for implementation, monitor all implemented activities of the census, and provide guidance in any other matter.
Andrew Bob Johnny, Statistician General and Chief Census Officer, made a statement saying data can be collected from every person—be you black or white, short or fall, thin or fat—which simply demonstrates the political willingness at the presidential level.
He said they had gathered there on that day following the proclamation made by the President, which has triggered administrative machinery that is comprised of the advisory committee, technical committee, coordinating committee, and logistics committee. He said these administrative structures are serving the success of the day-to-day activities towards the census.
He said the maiden meeting of the Advisory Committee is critical to look at the census and how its members are also important, noting that it is the policy threading wing through which governance and security matters relating to the census are made. H added that it serves as a parliament where laws are made that govern the activities of the census from now till the end. He explained that a reason why they have different representatives on the committee is for advocacy and for the galvanization of resources, such as financial, human, and logistics. He added that is to let the people understand that they need to be counted for amenities to reach their villages, façades, towns, and wherever they are.
In closing, he intimated that he has a dream, like Matin Luther King Jr., that the census, under the leadership of President Bio and he as Statistician General and Census Officer, will be the most successful census. And with support from the supervisory ministry (Ministry of Planning and Economic Development (MOPED)) and board chairperson, they will get it right.
In his presentation, Deputy Statistician General Lansana Kpewolo Kanneh said the 2025 PHC will last for 26 months, which will entail different activities ranging from administrative arrangements for 24 months; cartographic mapping for 12 months; a pilot census for 2 months; the preparation of tablets for 3 months; the procurement of equipment for 12 months; main census filed data capture for 2 weeks; post-enumeration for 1 month; and the preparation of a preliminary report for 5 months.
He explained that their specific objectives are to update the base map and delineate enumeration areas, produce census field maps of areas, construct an efficient sampling frame for other statistical sample inquiries, and update existing data to monitor the national development program, population projection, and sustainable development goals.
Kanneh said they will strategically implement plans by collaborating with a variety of data users and producers, engaging in extensive public engagement and technical use, building capacity, reducing cost, and actualizing robust monitoring and supervision. He disclosed that the PHC will cost US$ 37,573,933.66.
Giving a welcome address, Moses William, the Chairman, Stats SL Council, expressed that he is grateful for the presence of the police and military.
As chairman, he said the committee handles the policy aspects and sources funds from donors for all census activities, save for the technical aspect.
He called for an open discussion to know where they are going, while asserting that the census in Sierra Leone has never been done in exactly 10 years as it is supposed to be. He, however, said this time they want to be different and thus conduct the census as it has been proclaimed. So he said government and they should push for the funds.
Peter Sam Parker, Development Secretary at MOPED, said the National Medium Development Plan is aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which is a core source of reportage on the SDGs in 2030. He said data is needed for government priority areas for the optimization of the potential of those areas.
A month ago, the President proclaimed the conduct of a census from 2 to 15 of December in 2025.
This process is in line with Section 10(2), Part 3 of the Statistics SL Act, and in line with the UN principles and recommendations on census. Stats SL has maintained a value to produce and disseminate high-quality statistics. And this census, as they believe, could not be an exemption to this value.
