Sierra Leone, a tropical country on Africa’s west coast, may be small in size, but it has grand ambitions in technology. President Julius Maada Bio envisions Sierra Leone as “the Estonia of Africa,” supplying tech talent across the continent, backed by government investment and political support.
“Sierra Leone aims to play a prominent role in tech export,” said Salima Bah, Minister of Communication, Technology, and Innovation, during a recent visit to Lagos. Sierra Leone has previously played a key role in global capacity development and the Minister believes the country’s size is an advantage for quick action and adaptability.
In 2018, President Bio established the Directorate of Science, Technology, and Innovation (DSTI) and appointed a Chief Innovation Officer. The Ministry of Communication, Technology, and Innovation was also established, with Bah appointed as its first Minister in July 2023. The ministry has been preparing to support its budding startup ecosystem and will host a National Tech and Innovation Summit in May to attract tech investments and partnerships.
The country is investing in a tech and innovation city, a special economic zone, to train young people in tech skills and help achieve the government’s goal of creating 500,000 jobs by 2028.
The country’s strategy includes observing and learning from regional counterparts. During a visit to Nigeria, talks of cross-border collaboration with Nigeria’s tech regulator, the National Information Technology Development Agency, took place. Sierra Leone also intends to enact a startup act.
While Sierra Leone strives to catch up with the continent’s major players, it insists it is not competing, but collaborating. It plans to host an African ministerial roundtable at its tech summit to discuss open-source software and strategies for the continent to collectively benefit from AI.
“We are willing to learn from others. We aren’t inventing the wheel, we are learning and adapting,” said Bah.
