Statistics Sierra Leone has urged residents to remain in their usual communities on Census Night, warning that travelling to ancestral villages solely to be counted could distort population figures and affect the allocation of public services.
The agency delivered the message during the Waterloo Civic Day Series on Tuesday, October 20, ahead of the National Population and Housing Census scheduled for December 1, 2026.
Samuel Ansumana, Director of Communications and Public Relations at Statistics Sierra Leone, explained that the census would adopt a de facto counting method, under which people are enumerated according to where they physically spend Census Night.
“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.
He cautioned residents against travelling to their ancestral villages solely to participate in the census, explaining that such movements could inflate population figures in some areas while resulting in the undercounting of communities where people ordinarily live.
According to Ansumana, accurate population data will help authorities identify areas that require schools, health facilities, clean water projects and other essential services, particularly in communities experiencing population growth and increasing pressure on existing infrastructure.
He further explained that the December census date followed technical assessments involving international development partners, including the United Nations Population Fund, the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa and the U.S. Census Bureau. The timing, he said, was intended to allow sufficient preparation for mapping and system readiness.
Information presented at the forum indicated that the government had invested more than $12 million in digital enumeration tablets. The systems are expected to use Starlink satellite internet to support data collection in remote communities without mobile network coverage.
The agency also plans to deploy geofencing technology to restrict enumerators to their assigned areas, a measure intended to reduce the risk of fabricated or incorrectly located records.
Special questionnaires will be used to account for people who might otherwise be missed during conventional household enumeration. These include homeless individuals, market vendors who sleep at their stalls, hospital inpatients and people working night shifts.
Statistics Sierra Leone said field recruitment would be conducted through district-level committees involving paramount chiefs and local councils. The approach is intended to ensure that enumerators are familiar with local terrain and languages.
The agency also plans to provide a toll-free verification line for residents who believe they have been missed during the exercise, enabling them to request a follow-up household visit.
While December 1 has been designated as Census Night, the information presented at the forum indicated that full enumeration activities would commence on December 2 across the country’s 23,000 designated enumeration areas.
The agency’s appeal underscores the importance of counting residents where they actually spend Census Night to ensure that population figures accurately reflect the distribution of people across Sierra Leone and support evidence-based planning for public services.