BE COUNTED: A FOUNDATION FOR SIERRA LEONE’S DEVELOPMENT, UNITY AND PEACE

By Dr Douglas Beoku-Betts

232news –

Every person matters. Every community deserves recognition. Every citizen should have a fair opportunity to benefit from Sierra Leone’s national wealth. Our next population census is a defining moment in putting these principles into practice.

Sierra Leone’s Population and Housing Census, scheduled for 2–16 December 2026, offers an opportunity to understand how many people live here, where they live and the circumstances of their households. Its success depends on honest participation, professional standards and public trust. (sierraleone.unfpa.org⁠)

Behind every number is a person: a child who needs a classroom, a mother who needs maternity care, someone looking for a job, a business owner seeking customers, an investor looking for partners and a return on investment, or an older citizen who needs support. Being counted helps make their needs, aspirations and potential contributions visible.

Sierra Leone is a small country. We must manage our affairs carefully to accelerate development and use our resources in the best interests of the nation. Knowing how our population is distributed is a vital first step.

Planning for services and opportunity

Where should we build schools and health centres? Which communities need better water supplies, electricity, housing and transport? Where is population growth placing pressure on existing services?

Census information, combined with evidence about local conditions, helps us answer these questions and prepare for future demand.

It also supports enterprise. Traders need customers, manufacturers need workers and access to markets, and investors need evidence of commercial opportunity. Used alongside business surveys and feasibility studies, population data can help guide decisions about shops, processing facilities, training centres and other investments.

Waste management belongs within this planning. Growing communities need reliable collection, recycling and safe disposal to protect public health, waterways and the environment. We must manage the waste we produce while also reducing wasteful spending.

Our size should encourage coordinated action, with roads, public services and commercial infrastructure supporting one another.

Lessons from abroad

Other countries show the value of getting this right. In the United States, Census Bureau data helped guide more than $2.8 trillion in federal funding in 2021, supporting programmes including healthcare, housing and highways. Businesses also use its statistics to help choose where to invest. (census.gov⁠)

In England and Wales, census statistics inform service planning and resource allocation. In South Africa, provincial population estimates help determine the distribution of national funding. The lesson is clear: reliable population data can influence where money goes and whom it serves. (ons.gov.uk⁠, samrc.ac.za⁠)

Fairness requires understanding need

Fair allocation means considering more than population totals.

Two communities of similar size may have very different circumstances. One may have functioning schools, accessible roads and reliable water; another may lack all three. Decisions must therefore consider deprivation, geography, existing infrastructure and the cost of reaching people. Smaller and remote communities must receive proper attention.

Being counted does not automatically provide a job, a payment or a service. It creates a stronger basis for decisions. Leadership must translate that evidence into fair budgets, effective services and opportunities for employment and enterprise.

Trust and participation

People deserve clear explanations of what information is being collected, why it is needed and how it will be protected. Statistics Sierra Leone and its partners should explain confidentiality safeguards, answer concerns respectfully and provide a clear way to report missed households.

Professional independence is equally essential. Recruitment, training, fieldwork and publication should follow transparent standards. Political parties and community leaders should encourage accurate participation and support statisticians in carrying out their responsibilities without interference.

Public education must reach people through radio, community meetings, Krio and other widely spoken local languages. Chiefs, religious leaders, teachers, market associations, youth organisations and disability groups can help share verified information.

Special effort should reach remote villages, island and riverine communities, crowded urban settlements and people without settled accommodation. Children, older people and people with disabilities must receive proper attention.

Households should cooperate with properly identified census staff, answer honestly and follow official guidance about who should be included. Sierra Leoneans abroad can encourage their families to participate while respecting those rules. Omissions, false information and duplicate counting all undermine fairness.

Turning evidence into action

Credibility requires checks as well as participation. UNFPA guidance describes post-enumeration surveys used to assess census quality and coverage errors. Sierra Leone should explain its checking procedures and publish clear information about methods, findings and limitations. (unfpa.org⁠)

The results must then be put to work. Ministries and councils should show how the evidence influences development priorities. Businesses, researchers and communities should have access to useful published statistics that protect personal confidentiality.

Citizens should be able to ask how their needs are reflected in spending decisions and what progress is being made. The measure of success must include how effectively the findings improve planning and people’s lives.

Strengthening unity and peace

When we conduct the census properly and use its findings fairly, we strengthen our unity. Recognition, fair treatment and opportunity give people greater confidence that they have a stake in the nation’s future.

That confidence helps strengthen cooperation and security across our constituencies, districts, regions and country. It can help reduce grievances and support the peaceful resolution of differences.

A census alone cannot secure stability. But an honest count, followed by accountable action, can strengthen the trust and shared responsibility essential to the development Sierra Leone deserves.

Let us participate with that purpose in mind.

Every person counts. Every community matters. Being counted is a first step towards fairer development, stronger unity and lasting peace.