Government invests over $20 million to prepare for the 2026 census

In preparation for the 2026 Decennial Housing and Population Census, the Sierra Leonean government has committed more than US$20 million, indicating an unprecedented level of support for national planning and data collection. Speaking to attendees at the Civic Day Series in the Karene district on Tuesday, April 14, 2026, Samuel Ansumana, Director of Communication at Statistics Sierra Leone, verified the funding.
Ansumana praised the government’s determination, calling the funding “the most firm commitment I have ever seen from any government to support Census in this country.” According to him, the funds have been used for vital infrastructure and logistics that will increase the census’s precision, effectiveness, and legitimacy.
Modern tablets for data collection, geo-mapping and satellite imagery software, field team vehicles, and other operational necessities are among the major purchases made with the funds. Purchasing equipment outright, officials stressed, is meant to avoid the logistical issues encountered during the 2021 midterm census, when borrowed tablets from other nations arrived late and interfered with fieldwork. “We are committed to avoiding the mistakes of the past. We are developing a census system that represents Sierra Leone’s increasing capability and independence using our own tablets and cutting-edge mapping technology,” Ansumana stated.
The census program has placed a higher priority on human resources than on hardware and software. Hundreds of census officers are being hired and trained by Statistics Sierra Leone to improve data collection and provide young people in the country with job opportunities. To guarantee that enumerators are conversant with the new equipment and mapping tools and to encourage reliable, superior data collection across the country, training programs are being developed.
Statistics Sierra Leone projects that an extra $10 million will be needed to finish preparations for the Decennial Census, which is about eight months away. We expect the remaining training sessions, last-mile logistics, and increased community engagement initiatives to promote universal participation to be covered by that amount.
The census was presented by officials as a fundamental component of national planning rather than just a statistical exercise. Policymakers will be able to allocate resources more efficiently if they have access to accurate population and housing data when making decisions about infrastructure development, healthcare, education, and employment. Ansumana emphasised the administration’s belief that accurate statistics are crucial to sustainable development by reminding audiences that “census is a civic imperative.”
The government intends to provide a reliable, contemporary census that will guarantee that every citizen is counted and provide the evidence base required for long-term planning by making significant investments in both personnel and technology.