As part of preparations for the 2026 Population and Housing Census (PHC ‘26), Statistics Sierra Leone (Stats SL), has conducted a stakeholder engagement in Dema Chiefdom, Bonthe District, to raise awareness and strengthen local support for the ongoing Pilot Cartographic Mapping exercise.
The meeting took place at the Paramount Chief’s Barry in Chepo, bringing together key leaders and community stakeholders from all four sections of the chiefdom. In attendance were Paramount Chief Ashon Gabbay, Section Chief Alusine Tua (Dema Section), Section Chief Brima Lewis (Chepo Section), Section Chief Alusine King (Turtle Island), Section Chief Seh Than (Yoh Section), Chiefdom Speaker Kpana Numbay, Town Chief Oldman Gamaga, and others.
In his welcome remarks, PC Ashon Gabbay thanked Stats SL for prioritizing community engagement despite the difficult terrain.
“We warmly welcome the mappers to Dema Chiefdom. We will continue to support and guide them throughout this process, just as we’ve done since their arrival,” he assured.
Stats SL’s Public Relations Officer, Alpha Paul Kamara, explained that the purpose of the engagement was to inform and involve stakeholders in the pilot exercise and encourage community participation.
“This is a national process, and your support is crucial. We ask that you help sensitize your communities to ensure everyone understands the importance of this work,” he said.
Some participants raised concerns about the absence of local recruitment in the current pilot phase. Kamara clarified that the pilot is being conducted solely by specially trained Stats SL staff to test tools and methodologies. However, he noted that recruitment is ongoing for the main cartographic mapping, which will be implemented at the district level.
Dema Chiefdom is one of four strategically selected locations for the Pilot Cartographic Mapping, along with:
- Kissy Teng Chiefdom – a disputed border area
- Mara Chiefdom – a rural, easily accessible area
- Freetown East 2 & 3 – an urban and accessible setting
These pilot sites were chosen to reflect diverse geographic and logistical contexts. The pilot aims to test field tools, identify implementation challenges, and provide hands-on training for mapping teams in advance of the nationwide rollout.
Insights gathered from this pilot phase will directly inform the strategy for the full Census Cartography operation ahead of PHC ’26.
©️ 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐬 𝐒𝐋 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐬 & 𝐏𝐑 𝐔𝐧𝐢𝐭
