By: Nana
Appiah Acquaye
Sierra Leone has called for
stronger country ownership, regional cooperation and sustained investment as
Africa advances Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) as a continental
development priority.
Minister of Communication,
Technology and Innovation Salima Monorma Bah made the call at a High-Level
Ministerial Panel held on the sidelines of the 81st United Nations General
Assembly (UNGA81), convened with the African Union and the United Nations Development
Programme (UNDP).
The discussions focused on
what Africa needs to successfully leapfrog in the digital era, including
capacity, capital and commitment.
On capacity, Bah said Sierra
Leone is building local competency to design, adapt and own its digital systems
rather than depend on external actors to develop them. She said the approach
reflects the African Union’s emphasis on country ownership as a foundation for
sustainable DPI.
On capital, the Minister
noted that not every country needs to build the full technology stack
independently. Through the ECOWAS Data Embassy Framework, Sierra Leone is
positioning regional pooling of digital infrastructure as a model for sharing
costs and capacity sustainably across borders.
She also pointed to progress
in Sierra Leone’s digital infrastructure, noting that foundational digital
identity now covers more than 90% of the population, while a national payment
switch is scaling rapidly.
A data exchange layer is
also being piloted in the financial sector, developments which indicate that
Sierra Leone’s DPI agenda has moved beyond policy intent into implementation
and delivery.
Bah said agency, regional
solidarity and sustained investment remain important pillars of Africa’s
digital transformation as countries seek to build digital systems that respond
to their own needs and priorities.
