FREETOWN, 7th October 2026 – Statistics Sierra Leone (Stats SL) has received 25,000 tablets, power banks and protective cases as preparations intensify for Sierra Leone’s first fully digital Population and Housing Census (PHC) scheduled for December this year.
The consignment, procured with funding from the Government of Sierra Leone, will serve as the primary data-collection tool during the nationwide enumeration.
According to Stats SL, the latest delivery brings the total number of tablets received for the Census programme to 29,000, following an earlier delivery of 4,000 tablets in 2025 which were used for the national cartographic mapping exercise — the process of dividing the country into small countable areas called Enumeration Areas.
Stats SL described the arrival of the equipment as a major milestone in its technical and operational readiness for the Census, which will move the country away from paper questionnaires to electronic data capture.
The digital system is expected to improve efficiency, accuracy and speed. The tablets come with built-in validation checks that will allow enumerators and supervisors to detect and correct errors or inconsistencies in real time while still in the field, and to transmit data electronically to the central server, reducing delays caused by manual data entry.
Speaking at the official handing-over ceremony were the Chief Technical Adviser for the 2026 Census, Dr. Colins Opiyo; Director of Communication and Public Relations, Samuel Ansumana; and Officer-in-Charge of Operations and Logistics, Moses Johnson. They said the devices will significantly support field staff to collect, validate and transmit data more efficiently.
Stats SL reaffirmed its commitment to delivering a credible, accurate, reliable and inclusive Census that will capture the true demographic and socio-economic realities of Sierra Leoneans.
The agency said it continues to strengthen its systems, processes and technical capacity, noting that the data from the Census will be critical for national development planning, policy formulation and evidence-based decision-making — from allocation of resources, to constituencies, schools and health facilities.
Stats SL also appealed to the public to cooperate fully with Census personnel and provide accurate information to ensure that every household and person is counted.
Census Night is 1st December 2026, with house-to-house enumeration scheduled to begin on 2nd December 2026.
