By Sallieu S. Kanu
Statistics Sierra Leone (Stats SL), with support from the Government of Sierra Leone in partnership with UNFPA, yesterday hosted an Inaugural Advisory Committee Meeting for the conduct of the 2025 Decennial Population and Housing Census.
The meeting which was held in Freetown is geared towards determining the Terms of References (ToR) and confirming the composition of the committee members to formally start the Census processes.The meeting came after President Julius Maada Bio announced recently the conduct of a nationwide Population and Housing Census (PHC) in 2025.
The data from this decennial Census in 2025 is expected to guide the implementation of various development programmes, primarily the 2024 – 2030 Medium Term National Development Plan and our efforts to achieve the global Sustainable Development Goals. The Census will provide reliable baseline data to assess the impact of critical development interventions on both these guiding instruments with a contemporary deadline of 2030.
“Through statistical insights derived from this Census, we will track our progress and identify challenges crucial to our national development agenda,” President Bio said.
“My government will commit considerable financial and logistical resources to support this 2025 Population and Housing Census. We will collaborate with our esteemed partners such as the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), the United States Census Bureau through USAID, and others, to ensure the success of this important national endeavour,” he said.