By Hajaratu S. Bangura
With preparations advancing for the upcoming National Population and Housing Census, Statistics Sierra Leone has issued a strong public call urging citizens to remain in their regular places of residence rather than traveling to ancestral villages to be counted.
At the Waterloo Civic Day Series on Tuesday, October 20, 2026, the statistical agency emphasized that the national headcount will be conducted strictly on a de facto basis, meaning every individual in Sierra Leone will be enumerated according to where they physically spend the night on Census Night, which falls on December 1, 2026.
Speaking on the operational framework of the enumeration during the public civic forum, Samuel Ansumana, Director of Communications and Public Relations at Statistics Sierra Leone, warned that “census migration” fundamentally distorts national planning and deprives rapidly growing communities of essential social services.
“The fundamental principle of this enumeration is de facto counting. Wherever an individual spends Census Night—December 1, 2026—is where that person must be enumerated,” Ansumana stated. “We strongly urge citizens to avoid traveling back to their ancestral home villages solely for the census. When people inflate numbers in rural home areas and then immediately return to urban residences, they leave their actual living communities uncounted and under-resourced. National development budgets, health facilities, clean water projects and schools are allocated strictly based on where people reside and put pressure on infrastructure daily.”
He clarified that following technical assessments conducted alongside international development partners—including the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) and the United States Census Bureau—the census was strategically scheduled for December 2026 to ensure comprehensive cartographic mapping and system readiness.
To ensure an accurate and transparent count, the Government of Sierra Leone has invested over $12 million in sovereign-owned, fully digital enumeration tablets. The digital systems are integrated with satellite internet connectivity (Starlink) to cover remote areas without mobile networks, alongside geofencing technology that prevents fieldworkers from fabricating records outside their assigned enumeration zones.
Special questionnaires have also been designed to capture floating and vulnerable populations, including homeless individuals, market vendors sleeping at stalls, in-patients and those working night shifts.
Statistics Sierra Leone reiterated that counting will commence in full swing on December 2 and run across all 23,000 delineated enumeration areas nationwide. Field recruitment is being conducted through localized district committees—involving Paramount Chiefs and local councils—to guarantee enumerators understand community terrain and local languages. A toll-free verification line will also be operational to allow residents who suspect they have been missed to request an immediate household visit.
