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Strengthening Sierra Leone’s national data strategy for a resilient digital future

In recent years, Sierra Leone has made significant progress in laying the foundations for a thriving digital ecosystem, with internet penetration rates of 30.4% in 2024, up from just 12% in 2018. The country has prioritized the development of crucial policies and frameworks to guide its national digital transformation journey. Through our previous engagement with the Government of Sierra Leone, we worked closely with policymakers, private sector leaders, and civil society to help shape the country’s digital transformation strategy.

This collaborative effort led to the development of Sierra Leone’s first ever National Data Strategy – a critical step, that we were part of, that is shaping how data is collected, managed, and used across sectors. In turn, this strategy helped define governance frameworks, interoperability standards, and policies, positioning Sierra Leone to unlock new opportunities for economic growth, public sector innovation, and public service delivery.

Read more about our previous efforts.

Yet, the digital landscape is constantly evolving — and so must the strategy that guides it. 

To remain at the forefront of digital transformation, its essential Sierra Leone’s data governance frameworks evolve in step with emerging trends, technologies, and global best practices. The rapid expansion of digital services, the increasing role of data in economic planning, and the growing need for interoperability across sectors is creating new opportunities—and challenges—that require a refreshed approach.   

Alongside these developments, regional and global frameworks such as the African Union Data Policy Framework are shaping the future of data governance on the continent, making it critical for Sierra Leone to align its strategy with these recognized standards. 

In response, we are supporting the Government of Sierra Leone to update and refining its National Data Strategy. Our goal is to ensure that data is leveraged securely, efficiently, and equitably to drive inclusive growth.

Working in partnership with Sierra Leone, we will focus our efforts on three key pillars.

This focused 5-month engagement will ensure that Sierra Leone’s National Data Strategy is updated to reflect the evolving digital landscape and prioritize adherence to the African Union’s Data Policy Framework, which aims to advance data sharing for robust economic and digital development.  

Through targeted stakeholder engagements, benchmarking against international standards, and deep policy analysis, this effort will deliver a practical, future-proof framework that will enable Sierra Leone to harness data effectively for governance, growth, and social impact. To achieve this, we are: 

  1. Actively engaging key stakeholders, including government agencies, private sector representatives, civil society organizations, academia, and international experts, to foster collaboration and whole-of-government engagement in shaping the strategy. 
  2. Conducting extensive literature review and benchmarking, through analyzing global and regional best practices to ensure that Sierra Leone’s approach to data governance remains relevant, forward-thinking, and adaptable to emerging trends.  
  3. Conducting key informant interviews with key stakeholders, policy experts, data practitioners, and industry leaders to gain deeper insights into real-world challenges and opportunities. 

These consultations will directly inform the drafting and refinement of the National Data Strategy, ensuring that it is not only a policy document but a practical, agile framework that enables data to be effectively unlocked, leveraged, and shared to deliver benefits across sectors, communities, and needs.

We are committed to contributing to a positive digital future for people and communities across the country. 

The government of Sierra Leone is focused on ensuring that data is used efficiently, securely, and ethically to improve the lives of its citizens. With an updated National Data Strategy, the country will enhance its ability to harness data for development, enabling government institutions, businesses, and civil society to make informed decisions using data. And, if structured in an inclusive and transparent way, creating seamless data-sharing frameworks will contribute to bolstering public sector efficiency and increasing trust in digital services.

The Digital Impact Alliance (DIAL) is uniquely positioned to support this data journey. Our extensive experience in digital public infrastructure (DPI), policy development, and multi-stakeholder collaboration allows us to provide targeted expertise in data governance, strategy design, and implementation. Through initiatives such as the Africa Data Leadership Initiative (ADLI) and our work on Sierra Leone’s first National Data Strategy, we have demonstrated our ability to convene partners, facilitate knowledge-sharing, and shape best practices in responsible data governance. 

We are excited to be part of this next chapter, working alongside the government and key stakeholders to ensure that data becomes a powerful enabler of sustainable development for all.  

For interest and further engagement, please contact Talla Ndiaye via tndiaye@dial.global.