Sierra Leone advances digital sovereignty and infrastructure integration

Sierra Leone is advancing its digital sovereignty and economic expansion by integrating energy, telecommunications, and data infrastructure. During a United Nations General Assembly roundtable, Communications, Technology and Innovation Minister Salima Monorma Bah emphasized the importance of local ownership and technical capacity in managing the nation’s digital public infrastructure (DPI).

The country has successfully implemented a foundational digital ID system covering over 93 percent of the population. Current efforts include scaling a national payment switch and piloting a data exchange platform within the financial sector. Minister Bah noted that Sierra Leone is working to reduce dependence on external providers by building domestic expertise to design and adapt its own DPI ecosystem.

To support this digital growth, the government is addressing the interconnectedness of electricity supply, 5G deployment, and data infrastructure. This includes a public-private partnership where state-owned Sierratel utilizes Africell’s network infrastructure to provide services. Discussions at the UNGA also involved stakeholders regarding energy requirements for digital systems and the development of a governance framework for a trusted digital identity ecosystem based on open-source technology.