Africa-Press – Sierra-Leone. The Deputy National Chairman of Sierra Leone’s main opposition party, the All People’s Congress (APC), Osman Foday Yansaneh, has voiced serious concerns over the government’s preparations for the upcoming national census scheduled for December 2025.
“We were concerned about the procurement of census materials, which took place without our knowledge or input,” Yansaneh stated. He noted that officials from Statistics Sierra Leone informed the party about the use of tablets for data collection, but the APC insists these devices must first be thoroughly examined by its IT experts before approval.
To ensure oversight and transparency, he said thatthe APC has formed a technical committee chaired by the former Chief Census Officer, Peter Bangura who oversaw the 2015 census. According to Yansaneh, the committee’s mandate is to guarantee a credible, inclusive, and verifiable process that reflects the true demographic picture of Sierra Leone.
Expressing scepticism, Yansaneh referenced the widely criticised 2021 Mid-Term Census conducted under the Bio administration. “I was never counted during that census,” he revealed. “And somehow, the final report claimed that Kenema had a higher population than Freetown.” He stressed that such discrepancies have fueled public distrust and reinforced suspicions of political manipulation.
Development agencies like the European Union and The World Bank held reservations over the state of preparedness of the mid-term census. This prompted The World Bank to withdraw its funding and technical backing.
“The people of this country deserve a census they can believe in—not one that raises more questions than answers,” Yansaneh concluded. “We will not sit by and allow another flawed exercise to shape the future of this nation.”
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