On Tuesday 13 February 2024, Dr. David Moinina Sengeh, Chief Minister of Sierra Leone, highlighted the country’s efforts in leveraging technology and innovation to enhance public service delivery and uplift the lives of its citizens.
Speaking at the Government Services Forum during the World Government Summit in Dubai, Dr Sengeh shared the digital initiatives undertaken by Sierra Leone, and one of the key accomplishments mentioned by Dr Sengeh was the development of digital solutions such as a USSD dictionary, which complements traditional books, and an SMS result checker that has been utilized by nearly five million people across the country. Additionally, mobile connectivity has been expanded to cover almost 90% of the population. Sierra Leone has also created a mobile artificial intelligence Chat, GPT, to assist teachers in providing better educational content to students.
Dr. Sengeh emphasized that Sierra Leone’s digital experience has demonstrated that when technology is appropriately deployed, it acts not only as a catalyst for transforming service delivery but also as a public good and a vehicle for development. He highlighted the positive impact of the SMS result checker, which enables parents and students to instantly and freely access examination results, regardless of their location.
Even during the COVID-19 pandemic, Sierra Leone utilized hybrid technologies to ensure that children did not fall further behind in their education. The country was among the first to safely reopen schools, leveraging digital tools to bridge the learning gap. Dr. Sengeh stressed that digitalization is crucial for national development and global competitiveness.
Under President Bio’s digital transformation agenda, Sierra Leone has also implemented technology in revenue mobilization to combat corruption and streamline processes for business registration and corporate services. The Ministry of Agriculture is digitalizing agricultural services, providing farmers with vital information, market data, weather forecasts, and best practices, directly on their mobile phones. This empowerment of farmers aims to enhance productivity, enable informed decision-making, and promote sustainable agricultural practices to ensure food security in Sierra Leone.
The Government Services Forum at the World Government Summit featured other distinguished speakers, including H.E Ana Brnabić, Prime Minister of the Government of the Republic of Serbia, and H.E Mohamed Bin Taliah, Chief of the UAE Government Services.
