Statssl

THE COMPREHENSIVE HEALTH AND EPIDEMIOLOGICAL SURVEILLANCE SYSTEM (CHESS) PROJECT: AN OVERVIEW

Background

Statistics Sierra Leone (Stats SL) is implementing a $30m grant to the Government of Sierra Leone from the World Bank entitled Harmonizing and Improving Statistics in West Africa Project (HISWA) for the period 2020-2025. This is part of a regional project with seven countries (Burkina Faso, Cabo Verde, Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana, Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Togo) which is expected to be scaled-up to other African countries. The goal of HISWA is to strengthen the statistical system of participating countries and regional bodies in Africa to produce, disseminate and enhance the use of core economic and social statistics.

The HISWA project will support three core tasks: the implementation Strategy for harmonizing statistics in West Africa initiative by African Union (AU); the production of harmonized methodologies by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Commission; and improve data access at the regional level. 

These core tasks will include: support Household-based Surveys; support the Core Set of Economic Statistics; support the modernization of the consumer price index (CPI); support the improvement of administrative data sources; improve data accessibility and dissemination; support institutional reforms and enhance human capital all at the national level. 

The project also supports the Government’s vision of efficient internal data management and improved public access to data by providing a comfortable work environment and secure storage of IT equipment and statistical records. 

The CHESS Project

A key sub-component of the HISWA project for Sierra Leone (HISWA-SL) involves the improvement of administrative and health statistics. An important strategy for doing this is the new Comprehensive Health and Epidemiological Surveillance System (CHESS) which is being implemented in Sierra Leone for the first time. 

CHESS is a new generation of population surveillance operations that is capable of timely delivery of high-quality data for disease-specific and pathogen-specific morbidity, together with data for overall and cause-specific mortality. The widely acclaimed Health and Demographic Surveillance System (HDSS) forms the backbone of CHESS. 

An HDSS starts with a census of a geographic area to determine the denominator population which then gets evaluated over a long period of time. In and out migration as well as births and deaths of that population determine the dynamic cohort. Verbal autopsies are taken on deaths to report on cause-specific mortality. 

The main CHESS innovation is the effective integration across population and health facility data systems, linking demographic, epidemiological, mortality, morbidity, clinical, laboratory, household, environmental, health systems, and other contextual data, with a unique electronic individual identification system throughout. It is expected that this innovation will enable Sierra Leone to take part in cutting edge longitudinal population-based research which many other countries in Africa, Asia and the Pacific have been implementing as part of the INDEPTH Network of HDSS member centres. 

Importantly, in the implementation of CHESS, Stats SL will collaborate with National Civil Registration Authority (NCRA), Ministry of Health and Sanitation (MoHS), the Universities, Civil Society Organisations, NGOs and other research institutions. 

In Sierra Leone, the selection of districts to implement the CHESS project sites was done by a large group of stakeholders who used specific criteria to determine the locations. 

Prof. Osman Sankoh COR, CHESS Lead

Prof Osman Sankoh COR, commonly known as Mallam O., is the outgoing Statistician General and CEO of Statistics Sierra Leone (Stats SL). He is also the Vice-Chair of the United Nations Statistical Commission.  His term will end on 31st March 2023. He is currently the Vice-Chair of the United Nations Statistical Commission.  He served as Rapporteur of the UN Statistical Commission for two terms. From April 2020 to June 2021, Prof Sankoh served Njala University, the second largest public university of Sierra Leone, as Acting Vice Chancellor and Principal ----- Read More -----

Andrew Bob Johnny was appointed as Deputy Statistician General (DSG) in September 2019. Before his appointment as DSG, he has been Director of Censuses and GIS for a period of 15 years. During such time, Mr. Johnny contributed immensely to adding value to the 2004 and 2015 Population and Housing Censuses. Because of the immense role he played especially in the 2004 Population and Housing Census, he was awarded a scholarship by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) to pursue his career in Geographic Information Systems (GIS). ----- Read More -----

Ms Adama Jean Momoh Director Policy and Planning, Ministry of Basic and Senior Secondary Education. Masters degree in Public Administration (Economic Policy Management) from Columbia University New York, BSC Economics Fourah Bay College, HTC secondary mathematics Milton Margai Teachers college.    Joined the Sierra Leone civil service in 2001 worked as budget analyst for eight years in the ministry of Finance, joined Ministry of Education in 2009 on contract as strategic planner officer and late in 2013 recruited as Director of policy and planning. Extensive work in data analysis, budgeting and strategic planning.

Brima Victor Kamara aka Camma is the Deputy Director General of the National Civil Registration Authority (NCRA).  Brima is an experienced and result oriented Community and Public Health Professional and System Strengthening Specialist with an advanced degree in Public Health(MPH). His professional career span over 25 years working with the Ministry of Health, Humanitarian International Non-Governmental Organisations and UN Agencies(MSF-Belgium, MSF-France, CARE Int. World Vision, International Medical Corps, Planned Parenthood Association Marie Stopes, UNFPA, Cordaid and ICAP).        ----- Read More -----

Grace Harman,  Ag. Director of Births and Deaths Registration at the NCRA. A Social Scientist (Sociology) with experience in social research methods. My professional career has included working as Child Protection Specialist for UNICEF and Plan International and managing health projects with Marie Stopes.       

Enoch Terlumun Iortyom. PhD, MSc, BSc (Hons), FESMI, ACWISA, Mem-AAG, Mem-EUROGEO, Mem-CAG This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.;  This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.; +232 74 309879; +234 806 638 8025. Dean, School of Postgraduate Studies, Ernest Bai Koroma University of Science and Technology (EBKUST), Republic of Sierra Leone.   Dr. Enoch Terlumun Iortyom is an Associate Professor of Geography. He earned Ph.D. in Geography at University of Fort Hare, South Africa. MSc and a BSc (Hons) in Geography at Benue State University, Makurdi, North Central Nigeria-West Africa.  ----- Read More -----

Dr Abiola Grace Femi-Adepoju is a Scientist involved in Environmental, Nanotechnology and Medicinal Plant Research. As a teacher and a researcher, she has trained and mentored many in her fields of expertise. She has published over 20 peer-reviewed research articles and 1 book chapter with over 150 citations to her credit, and have presented findings of her medicinal research in scientific conferences. She bagged her BSc, MSc and Ph.D from the University of Ilorin, Nigeria and a Postgraduate Diploma in Education from Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto, Nigeria. She has been a University Lecturer and Researcher since 2013. 

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Paul Sengeh, MSc Statistics (medical), BSc Mathematics and Physics - Director of Research and Evaluation. Paul has over 40 years of experience in government as a teacher, primary health care planner and evaluator, and national professional specialist responsible for Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation. Paul has a Master of Science degree in Statistics specializing in medical statistics from McMaster University in Hamilton Canada, Ontario and a Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematics and Physics. His professional areas of interest are health statistics, health care financing and education with expertise in social sector programme planning, monitoring and evaluation. He also has extensive facilitation, coaching and mentoring skills.  

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