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Sierra Leone's new comms minister lays out country’s tech vision

By , ITWeb
Sierra Leone , 07 Aug 2023
Salima Mormorna Bah is the new minister of communication, technology, and innovation.
Salima Mormorna Bah is the new minister of communication, technology, and innovation.

Salima Mormorna Bah, Sierra Leone's new Minister of Communication, Technology and Innovation, set out her vision for creating a tech ecosystem to drive transformation in the West African country, last week.

President Julius Maada Bio recently appointed Bah, 32, to head Sierra Leone's digital journey, promoting programmes that enhance the use of technology to help the country flourish.

Last week, Bah was on the road to solicit support from the tech sector, during which she outlined her plans to carry out her mandate.

The minister spoke on the AYV news morning show to discuss her strategy, which included upgrading communication infrastructure and assisting content creators.

"I stressed the importance of developing strategic partnerships to enable our digital content creators to access avenues for revenue generation and platform monetisation," she recently tweeted.

Bah met with the leaders of telecom providers QCell Salone Pride and Orange Sierra Leone to discuss potential areas of partnership for boosting access and cost of mobile Internet services.

The minister said she examined possible collaboration with the telcos on the government's digital transformation agenda, which will create a pipeline for youth employment.

She said. “I also congratulated them on existing efforts that give digital learning possibilities for Sierra Leonean youngsters."

Bah has recently said that part of her ministerial responsibility is to be accessible to other young women, to be an inspiration, and to show them that as a group, they have a lot more to contribute to governance.

The minister has promised to push the country's digital transformation strategy and deliver solutions that would better the lives of all people of Sierra Leoneans.

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