Sierra Leone’s statistics office will begin a nationwide training programme on Monday to prepare field officers for a cartographic mapping exercise ahead of the country’s 2026 Population and Housing Census, officials said on Saturday.
Statistics Sierra Leone (Stats SL) said the 10-day training would run from Sept. 22 to Oct. 1 in Bo, Kenema, Makeni, Port Loko and the Western Area. Participants will learn to use GPS-enabled devices and Geographic Information System (GIS) software to delineate enumeration areas, update boundary data and identify dwellings and community structures.
“This is a foundational step toward delivering a credible, inclusive and technology-driven census,” the agency said in a statement.
Cartographic mapping divides the country into manageable enumeration areas, helping prevent undercounting or duplication and guiding the deployment of census staff and resources. Stats SL said updated maps would also capture informal settlements, remote areas and new community layouts.
By the end of the training, the agency aims to establish a verified national cartographic database to support census planning and logistics.
The 2026 census is expected to provide key data for policy, development planning and resource allocation in the West African nation of about 8.9 million people.
By Gibrila Koroma
