Sierra Leone is seeking to raise up to $150 million to roll out a far reaching digital innovation strategy led by a new Tech City hub.
The plan incorporates job creation, training, entrepreneurship, and efforts to attract investment.
Technology minister Salima Bah, who is overseeing the new policy, told Semafor Africa the approach aims to attract entrepreneurs from across the West African sub-region as well as within the country.
“We really want to play the role of being a home for innovative ideas in the very early stages,” Bah said in an interview.
The Tech City will sit within a 130-acre special economic zone which is being adapted to support startups, according to the minister. She said the country’s small size — with a GDP of just under $4 billion in 2023 and population of 8.7 million — could allow it to adapt quickly in a fast-changing environment.
The new digital policy push is being supported by private players including local telecoms companies Africell and Orange Sierra Leone, as well as early grant backing from development financial institutions.
A key part of the strategy involves securing commitments from companies to set up facilities within the hub including data centers and tech schools. Africell has committed to building a data center as part of the project.
There is also a focus on job creation through opening business process outsourcing centers and device assembly facilities.
