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Sierra Leone has significantly enhanced its economic data infrastructure by conducting a comprehensive Census of Business Establishments, revealing nearly 165,000 active sites dominated by informal micro-enterprises. This initiative moves beyond traditional metrics by fully integrating the informal sector, which drives urban growth and poverty reduction, into the national statistical framework. The resulting data provides a clearer picture of the economy’s true scale, including gender dynamics and geographic distribution, offering vital insights for policymakers and researchers navigating post-pandemic recovery and high inflation. The success of this census demonstrates the transformative power of modern digital tools in statistical collection. By utilizing specialized software for tablet-based data gathering and automated validation checks, Statistics Sierra Leone achieved high-quality coverage while minimizing costs and manual errors. This technological approach allowed for efficient real-time monitoring and immediate feedback, proving that robust data systems can be established even in resource-constrained environments with challenging logistical conditions like limited internet or power. This achievement is highly relevant to the open data community as it establishes a new, transparent foundation for Sierra Leone’s economic statistics. The resulting Statistical Business Register serves as a critical sampling frame for future GDP estimates and policy evaluations, ensuring greater accuracy and accountability. Furthermore, the documented methodology and toolset offer a replicable model for other developing nations seeking to improve their own statistical capacities, promoting global standards in data transparency and accessibility.

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Published on 2023-10-04

Open Data

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