The National Civil Registration Authority (NCRA) has commenced a two day validation meeting to review and validate Sierra Leone’s 2025 Vital Statistics Report, with stakeholders focusing on the quality, accuracy and reliability of data on vital events, including fertility and mortality.
The meeting, which started from Thursday September 10 2026 and will end today, Friday 11 September, 2026, brought together representatives from Government institutions, development partners and other stakeholders to examine the processes, data quality and analysis underpinning the country’s vital statistics.
The opening day focused on the background and objectives of the validation exercise, processes and procedures for vital events registration, metadata and data quality, as well as the analysis of vital statistics data.
Speaking at the meeting, NCRA Director General, Mohamed Mubashir Massaquoi, said the validation exercise is important to strengthening the country’s civil registration and vital statistics system and ensuring that the information generated could support national development.
The DG said the production of reliable vital statistics required effective collaboration among Government institutions, development partners and other stakeholders involved in collecting, managing and using data.
He explained that NCRA had been working with relevant institutions and partners to strengthen the civil registration and vital statistics system, noting that credible data is essential for evidence based decision making, policy formulation and the implementation of effective interventions.
According to him, the need for the validation exercise is also linked to the different sources from which Government institutions obtain information. He noted that relying on data from multiple external sources could create inconsistencies if the information was not properly coordinated, assessed and validated.
He stressed the importance of Sierra Leone taking greater ownership and leadership of data generated through its national civil registration operations.
He said a stronger national system would enable government and its development partners to have access to credible, consistent and nationally owned information for planning and decision making.
The NCRA Director General further explained that the validation process would enable stakeholders to examine the available data, identify gaps and address weaknesses in the systems used to collect and manage vital statistics.
He said the two day exercise would also provide an opportunity for technical discussions, group reviews and validation of the draft statistics, particularly data relating to fertility and mortality.
The DG called on participants to actively contribute to the process, stressing that the quality of the final report would depend on the collective assessment and validation of the data by the institutions involved.
He also acknowledged the support of development partners in strengthening the initiative.
Speaking also, Kadija Kamara, Data Specialist at the Ministry of Health, underscored the importance of accurately recording births and deaths as part of efforts to improve health planning and service delivery.
She stated that every birth and every death needed to be properly recorded because vital events provide critical information for understanding the population and planning public services.
She explained that accurate vital statistics were particularly important to the health sector because they provide information needed to formulate policies, design interventions and assess the needs of different population groups.
According to her, reliable data enables health authorities to better understand population trends and make informed decisions on health programmes and interventions.
She said the Ministry of Health was interested in strengthening systems capable of producing clean, reliable and usable data, adding that improving the ability to visualise and utilise information generated through the civil registration and vital statistics system remained important.
She noted that efforts to improve the availability and quality of vital statistics were also connected to strengthening the national health information system.
She said accurate and timely information on vital events would enable the Ministry of Health and other stakeholders to better plan health interventions, allocate resources and measure progress.
The validation meeting is expected to conclude with stakeholders reaching consensus on findings from the review of the 2025 vital statistics, particularly in the areas of fertility and mortality, as NCRA continues efforts to strengthen Sierra Leone’s civil registration and vital statistics system.
