Profiling Enumeration and Mapping - Slum Dwellers International

804 Youth. 3 Settlements. 5 Days. What We Learned.

By Asana Alhassan, Joan Mwinfang Aadaaryeb, Abdul Rasheed Yussif and Abdullah Salman

In just five days, a team of 30 trained SDI youth data collectors profiled 804 young people across the Tamale settlements of Lamashegu, Jisonaayili, and Kanvili.

Tamale is one of the fastest-growing cities in West Africa, and with that growth comes both urgent challenges and significant opportunity. Situated at the crossroads between southern Ghana and the Sahel, the city has long served as a hub for trade, migration and cultural exchange. Its population is predominantly young, bringing with it a depth of talent, creativity and energy that remains largely untapped.

Tamale is also the birthplace of Dr. Sulley Gariba, in whose memory the SDI Impact Innovation Initiative is dedicated.

The data collection exercise provided a detailed snapshot of the realities, aspirations and opportunities among participating youth in these communities, made possible through the Impact Innovation Initiative, led by People’s Dialogue Ghana and the Ghana Federation of the Urban Poor (GHAFUP) in partnership with SDI.

While the findings do not represent all youth in Tamale, they offer valuable insights for local government, development partners, civil society partners and community leaders looking to support youth development where it matters most.

Building Legitimacy

Before any data was collected, trust had to be earned. The project team began by engaging traditional authorities such as chiefs and elders whose influence shapes how communities receive and respond to any new initiative. Through a series of dialogues, the team introduced the work, clarified its objectives and made space for community concerns to be heard and addressed.

The result was a formal endorsement from traditional leaders, who did not simply grant permission but actively encouraged young people to participate. That backing ensured that the initiative was understood not as something imposed from outside, but as an effort rooted in and aligned with community priorities.

Engaging with traditional leaders, community groups and local government officials is SDI practice and vital for the sustainability of any initiatives and process.

Youth Leading the Way

One of the most remarkable stories behind the numbers is the process itself. With community support and the endorsement of traditional leaders, young people took the lead in collecting data from their peers.

The result was a profiling exercise that reached 804 young people in only five days, demonstrating the power of youth-led action when the right resources are made available.

What the Data Tells Us

Young Women Showed Up:

53.6% of the youth profiled were female, highlighting strong participation from young women across the three settlements. This reinforces the importance of ensuring that future programmes, training opportunities and economic interventions continue to be inclusive and responsive to the needs of young women.

The Reality of Employment:

The data reveals a generation that is working hard to create opportunities for itself.

Among the youth profiled in Tamale:

35% are self-employed, primarily within the informal economy.
17.2% are unemployed.
Only 5% reported being in formal employment

These numbers highlight both the resilience and the challenges facing young people. Many are actively finding ways to earn a living, but access to formal employment remains limited.

skip render: ucaddon_uc_piechart
skip render: ucaddon_semi_circle_progress_bar
skip render: ucaddon_semi_circle_progress_bar

A Digital Opportunity

One of the most promising findings emerged from the digital landscape. While 83.3% of respondents reported familiarity with smartphones, about 48.6% identified as digital beginners, highlighting a significant opportunity for digital skills training and workforce development.

The message is clear: the challenge is no longer simply access to devices, it is access to digital skills.

Why This Matters

Africa is the world’s youngest continent. More than 60% of its population is under the age of 25. The findings from Lamashegu, Jisonaayili, and Kanvili speak directly to that reality.

Young people are participating. Young women are engaging. Smartphones are already in use. Informal businesses are thriving despite challenges. Yet gaps remain in employment opportunities and digital skills development. For local governments, development organisations, civil society actors and donors, this is an opportunity to invest where the impact can be greatest:

Digital literacy and workforce readiness programmes
Youth entrepreneurship and business support
Employment creation initiatives
Skills development tailored to local economic opportunities
Gender-responsive youth programmes

The Bigger Message

SDI youth are showing much-needed leadership in the settlements they live and work in. The success of profiling 804 young people in just five days is remarkable by any measure. Few professional consultants or research firms could achieve this reach or depth of access in the same timeframe. This is the unique capacity of on-the-ground movements and grassroots organisations like SDI, rooted in communities, trusted by residents and able to generate data from within settlements that would be very difficult to replicate by third parties.

But who this data serves matters as much as what it reveals. Community-led data collection carries with it a degree of accountability that conventional research often does not.

It is not extracted and handed upward to funders or policymakers. It carries accountability to the settlements and to the young people who were not merely subjects of this exercise but active participants in it. This data and the innovation it drives, is meant to benefit those who made it possible in the first place.

These young leaders have embraced the power of data as a tool to navigate the challenges in their settlements and cities and by directly addressing problems in their settlements, explore livelihood opportunities for themselves.

Strengthening SDI Federations

The Impact Innovation Initiative is not only a data exercise; it is an opportunity to strengthen the SDI federations in Tamale. This is particularly significant given the lasting damage inflicted by the COVID-19 pandemic, which severely disrupted the livelihoods of women in Tamale and weakened community federations built over many years.

In response, the initiative is actively revamping SDI federation and savings groups across six settlements: Jisonaayili, Kanvili, Choggu, Sognaayili, Kalipohini, and Lamashegu. The work is twofold: rebuilding the women’s federation movement that sustained these communities before the pandemic and simultaneously nurturing a new youth movement capable of carrying that legacy forward.

Eyes in the Sky, Feet on the Ground: SDI Youth-Led Mapping in Sierra Leone

By Chinedu Azuara, Donald S.C. Sombie, Gassimu Musa, Mamie Ruth Kamara, Ngozi Blessing Azuara and Tenneh Conteh

We are young SDI federation members from Bo Town in Sierra Leone who have been grounded intensively over the past six months on training programs under the SDI Impact Innovation Initiative. Among all the trainings we received, one worth highlighting is the drone training which was facilitated by the Centre of Dialogue on Human Settlement and Poverty Alleviation (CODOHSAPA).

From March to May 2026, we participated in drone training sessions together with our city council. At the beginning, we faced many challenges. Some were nervous about catching the drone when it was landing to prevent it from hitting the ground, while others struggled to control the drone using the remote controller.

However, through continuous practice, commitment and determination, we gradually overcame these difficulties and learned how to operate and fly drones successfully.

When we completed the training, we conducted drone mapping exercises in three different communities namely Torwama, Kortibuma and Simbaru. The purpose was to identify and document the number of houses and shops, their locations, the livelihoods of residents and the location of various services within the communities. Most importantly, the mapping helped us understand the challenges facing these communities, identify what they are lacking and determine their most pressing needs.

During our survey, we identified key strategic locations within the three communities, including schools, places of worship, livelihood centres and other important community facilities.

However, one major gap we discovered in these settlements was the absence of vocational institutions and training hubs.

As a result, there is an urgent need for youth-focused initiatives that provide skills training and income-generating opportunities to help young people build sustainable livelihoods.

Based on the data collected, we encourage the Government of Sierra Leone and development partners, including NGOs, to establish vocational training centres and youth learning hubs in these settlements. This will equip the youth with practical skills, improve their chances of securing employment or becoming self-employed and contribute to the overall development of their communities. Such interventions will also help reduce poverty, unemployment and crime while creating a brighter future for the youth.

Behind the collective achievements are individual journeys. Hear directly from some of the SDI youth who took part, sharing their experiences in their own words.

Gassimu Musa

I am Gassimu Musa from the Federation of Urban and Rural Poor (FEDURP). I am from the settlement of Mendewa in Bo Town in Sierra Leone. I am a member of the Gbotima Savings Group.

Regardless of their income or status, the women and men that form part of this group have the power to speak with one voice and bring about real change. Savings groups serve as building blocks for our settlement and community. In turn, this helps us to pool our resources and tackle issues that affect our entire community, going beyond just livelihoods.

I am also participating in the SDI Impact Innovation Initiative project. Through this project, I learnt how to fly a drone to do settlement boundary mapping. I also facilitated focus group discussions with my community to help find solutions for our challenges.

Bo Town has a large and growing youth population, yet many young people struggle to get ahead. Unemployment is high, skills training is hard to access and poverty remains a daily reality. Many young people have ideas and want to contribute to their communities, but they lack the support, funding and opportunities to do so.

In my settlement, there is no training centre for youth. This is one of our biggest challenges. As part of this project, we will be building a skills and vocational centre in Bo Town where young people can learn practical skills, start small businesses and find work. I would like to see the youth from my community create their own opportunities and play an active role in building a better Bo Town.

Tenneh Conteh

My name is Tenneh Conteh, a resident of Torwama and a member of the Oneness Savings Group.

What excites me most about Slum Dwellers International (SDI) is seeing how people living in informal settlements come together to create solutions for their own communities. I am inspired by the way SDI mobilises local residents, especially women and youth, to lead change through savings groups, community mapping and collective action.

It is exciting to see communities gain a stronger voice and work with governments on housing, sanitation and other essential services. The idea that people can transform their own neighbourhoods through unity, leadership and shared learning gives me hope and motivation.

Ngozi Blessing Azuara

I am Ngozi Blessing Azuara, a member of the Federation of Urban and Rural Poor (FEDURP) in Gborbu Community, Sierra Leone, and a proud member of the One Hope Savings Group.

Being part of the SDI Impact Innovation Initiative has been a life-changing experience for me. One of the most exciting parts of the programme was the drone training. Before this training, I had never seen a drone being flown up close, let alone operated one myself. Learning how to fly a drone and understanding how it can be used for community development opened my eyes to new possibilities.

Through this training, I gained practical knowledge in drone flying and community mapping. I learned how drones can help capture accurate information about our settlements, identify social amenities, map community boundaries and collect data that can support planning and development. This knowledge has given me a new way of looking at the challenges and opportunities within my community.

In Gborbu Community, many residents face economic challenges and have limited financial resources.

Despite this, members of our One Hope Savings Group remain committed to saving regularly and supporting one another. With the little money they have, they continue to invest in a shared vision of improving our community and creating opportunities for future generations.

Their dedication shows that meaningful change does not always begin with wealth, it begins with unity, commitment and hope.

The drone training has equipped me with skills that I can use to support my community. Through mapping and data collection, I can help identify areas where services are lacking, document community needs and provide evidence that can strengthen our advocacy efforts. This information can be used to engage stakeholders, government institutions, and development partners in addressing challenges affecting our community.

For me, this training was more than just learning to fly a drone. It was about gaining a tool that can help amplify the voice of my community. I am grateful for this opportunity and excited to use the knowledge and skills I have gained to contribute to positive change, support community development and help build a better future for the people in our settlements.

Mamie Ruth Kamara

My name is Mamie Ruth Kamara, a resident of Kortibuma Section in Bo Town, Sierra Leone and a member of the Federation of Urban and Rural Poor (FEDURP).

Over the past six months, we have undergone several trainings under the SDI Impact Innovation Initiative. Some of these trainings included drone training, service mapping, boundary mapping and community engagement.

Among all of them, I would especially like to talk about drone flying, which was the most interesting part for me. Before the training, I did not know how to fly a drone, but after the training sessions, I can now fly one confidently. The mapping helps me get accurate data about my community like the number of houses, schools, water points, services, marketplaces, hospitals, churches, toilets and hazardous points.

The training also helped me acquire skills that I never had before such as communication and facilitation skills. I am willing and eager to continue learning more.

I believe that all youth must be the change they want to see in their communities. We must not just be beneficiaries of projects, but we should be the change.

Chinedu Azuara

My name is Chinedu Azuara from Federation of Urban and Rural Poor (FEDURP) in Sierra Leone. During the Impact Innovation Initiative, I had the opportunity to participate in drone flying and community mapping training.

It was an eye-opening experience that showed me how technology can be used to better understand our communities and support development.

This experience has inspired me to think differently about the challenges facing our communities. As young people, we need more opportunities to learn innovative skills that can help us create lasting impact.

I encourage NGOs, development partners and institutions to invest in youth training. When young people are supported with knowledge and skills, they become part of the solution.

Donald S.C. Sombie

My name is Donald S.C. Sombie, a resident of Bo in Sierra Leone and a proud member of Federation of Urban and Rural Poor (FEDURP).

‎Thanks to this training, we are now able to apply our knowledge and skills to earn a living. We also encourage other young people who have recently joined or are just receiving this opportunity to take the training seriously and make the most of it.

‎

‎At the same time, we appeal to the government and other stakeholders across the country to consider engaging us in drone mapping and related activities, as we are now equipped with the necessary skills and knowledge to operate drones.

SDI case studies featured in the UCLG GOLD Report

SDI case studies from across the network have been featured in the latest United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG) sixth edition of the GOLD Report.

The report was jointly produced by UCLG and Knowledge in Action for Urban Equality (KNOW). The report aims to understand the state of urban and territorial inequalities worldwide and call for a step change in local and regional governments’ place in tackling the global challenge.

Over the past year, SDI has worked across our network to add to knowledge bases in informal settlement upgrading, urban sanitation equality and resilience. Several case studies from our network feature in the report, which has now been published.

Read the full report here.

SDI Case Studies

Experiences in informal settlement upgrading: Zimbabwe & Namibia

Two cases of community-driven informal settlement upgrading were exemplified in Freedom Square, an informal settlement in Gobabis, Namibia and Dzivarasekwa Extension, and an informal settlement in Harare, Zimbabwe.

In Gobabis, the Community Land Information Program is utilised by the community to drive data collection with the methodology which was developed by the Namibian SDI alliance to obtain community-driven enumeration and mapping data. This they use to negotiate alternatives to proposed relocations by their municipality. The negotiations resulted in no families being relocated from their sites and a total of 1110 households obtained land, totalling 4173 inhabitants in total.

In Harare, the Zimbabwe Homeless People’s Federation, Dialogue on Shelter for the Homeless Trust, the City of Harare and the Central Government are all working together to ensure the construction is ongoing to secure land for 480 families. These families are the primary beneficiaries of land for housing development to ensure secure tenure and the provision of adequate water and sanitation facilities among a range of other essential services.

Developing pathways to urban sanitation equality – a case study of the simplified sewerage solution in Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania

The Centre for Community Initiatives (CCI) in Tanzania, funded by SDI and UCL, implemented simplified sewerage systems as a pilot in Mji Mpya – Vinguguti in Ilala Municipality in the city of Dar-es-Salaam. The sewerage systems are a sewerage network constructed using smaller diameter pipes laid at a shallow depth and a flatter gradient than conventional sewers. Currently, there are 170 toilets which have been connected to the simplified sewerage network which also feeds into waste ponds for processing.

The project highlights the importance of community participation, the critical need for collaboration of actors, the great opportunity for the utility to scale up the innovations and the crucial role of the local government in the processes.

Find these and other case studies are featured in the latest UCLG GOLD VI Report.