Statistics Sierra Leone (Stats SL) has successfully concluded a week-long regional cartographic mapping training exercise, held simultaneously across Bo, Kenema, Makeni, Port Loko, and the Western Area (Rural and Urban) from 8th to 14th September 2025.
This critical initiative forms part of the country’s preparations for the upcoming 2026 Population and Housing Census, laying the foundation for a nationwide geographic data collection process.
Building National Capacity
The training focused on equipping Master Trainers with advanced skills in cartographic mapping and geo-referencing. These trainers will now cascade their knowledge to field mappers and team leads during the upcoming district-level training phase, a key step in strengthening Sierra Leone’s national mapping capacity.
Participants engaged in both theoretical and practical sessions, covering topics such as:
•Modern geo-referencing techniques
•Use of advanced digital mapping tools
•Identification and classification of geographic features
•Real-world field mapping applications
The training combined interactive lectures, group discussions, and daily assessments with intensive fieldwork to ensure participants gained practical, job-ready skills. These skills are essential for accurate mapping—a critical component of spatial planning, service delivery, and evidence-based policymaking.
High-Level Stakeholder Engagement
The exercise received strong backing from Stats SL leadership and national stakeholders including UNFPA. Key officials present included:
•Mr. Andrew Bob Johnny – Statistician General
•Mr. Lansana Kpewolo Kanneh – Deputy Statistician General
•Mr. Abdulai Salia Brima – National Census Coordinator
•Mr. Moses Williams – Chairman, Stats SL Council
•Dr. Foluke Adebayo – Cartographic Consultant
•Mr. Samuel Ansumana – Director of Communication & PR
•Other directors and senior technical staff of Stats SL
Their presence underscored the national importance of the exercise and served as a strong source of motivation for the trainees.
Voices from the Closing Ceremony
At the closing ceremony, Statistician General Mr. Andrew Bob Johnny emphasized the strategic value of mapping in national development:
“Mapping is the foundation of effective data collection. Without it, we cannot plan properly, deliver services effectively, or allocate resources efficiently.”
Participants expressed appreciation for the quality and relevance of the training, highlighting the confidence it has given them to support the next phase of the census mapping process.
Next Steps
With the successful conclusion of the regional training phase, Stats SL now shifts focus to the district-level training, where the newly trained Master Trainers will lead field teams across all districts nationwide.
This final phase is pivotal to achieving accurate, reliable, and comprehensive data for the 2026 Population and Housing Census—data that will guide national policy, resource distribution, and long-term development planning.
©️ 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐬 𝐒𝐋 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐬 & 𝐏𝐑 𝐔𝐧𝐢𝐭
