09 February, 2021 (232News)
FREETOWN – A week training on Cartographic Mapping for the 2021 Mid-Term Population and Housing Census is ongoing at the Statistics Sierra Leone headquarters in Freetown.
The training which commenced on Wednesday 3rd February 2021 in Freetown and the Provinces will end this week.
In his statement on the importance of the cartographic exercise, the Deputy Statistician General, Andrew Bob Johnny disclosed that this is the first time Sierra Leone is undertaking such a venture.
According to him such exercise should take place every ten years as it is been done in other countries in Africa.
He disclosed further that $7 million the cost to do such exercise.
“It is very expensive. The success of the 2021 mid-term and housing census have to be taken in to high consideration.”
He admonished the trainees that before they send them on the field on the 19th of April for them to do the census canvassing.
“If we get this wrong then, we get the main census wrong. For two weeks the EA demarcation or household demarcation should be properly described. You have a huge task and responsibility for this institution and the government. In distributing resources we have to get the planning right.”
He pointed out that the one week training is to ensure the trainees know everything they need to know before they go to the field as digital transformation will be used in this process through the use of Android Phone and Mapping.
“You have been given the opportunity, you have to make use of it and those who understand the process well will be given the opportunity to go to the field after the training”.
In his statement and formally opening the training, Statistician General, Prof. Osman Sankoh thanked the government for making the census happening.
He said if one don’t have the opportunity to be train, that person will not do the things he wanted to do.
“Because of the expertise we have, we want to train others. If you have been selected to be part of this as female I am grateful for this.”
He told his audience that they are going to go out and showcase Sierra Leone and they have to be proud of this as Sierra Leone is the 3rd country in Africa that is doing such exercise.
He recalled that Sierra Leone is the first country that has disease surveillance in West Africa.
“Using tablet is not new to us, we have the expertise and we don’t want to keep it to ourselves that is why you have to do that.”
He ended by saying one can be poor but what he/she can do should be done well for her country and the country will be proud of them.
“Do it with all sincerity, transparency, accountability and integrity.”
Presentation of timelines (Event and Cartographic exercise) was done by the National Census Coordinator, Abdulai S. Brima who disclosed that 19th April the actual census date process will start and about 20 thousand will be recruited for the actual census.
