By Henry Kargbo
The Director General and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Smart Africa Digital Academy, Lacina Kona has Tuesday 4 April 2023, informed journalists that the Smart Africa Digital Alliance will be dedicated to Sierra Leone. He said the dedications of the scheme is aimed at enhancing the digital skills and competencies of Information Communications and Technology.
Mr Kona made the disclosure at the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Government of Sierra Leone and the launching of the Smart Africa Digital Academy, at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Conference Room, Tower Hill in Freetown.
He said the Smart Africa Digital Academy (SADA) mission is geared towards promoting digital transformation across Africa through education and capacity development.
He said the collaboration with Ministry of Information and Communications is aimed at enhancing digital skills target group of senior officials from Government Ministerial, ICT professionals, youths, and university students.
He said the platform will provide government’s policy decision-makers in each member state with the latest knowledge of emerging digital technologies to develop impactful digital skill development roadmaps.
Mr Kone informed that SADA is an initiative of the Smart Africa Alliance, an alliance working in 32 Africa countries with the aim of accelerating sustainable socio-economic development in Africa and the collaboration will have a far-reaching impact across the continent.
He said that SADA will equip the public administration of each member state with the latest information to enhance digital information.
He said that statistics shown that digital technology have played a great role over the years and has also created huge impact in the lives of young people across the globe.
Mr Kone Smart Digital Academy is in Sierra Leone to work with the Ministry of Information and Communications as the leading player.
The Minister of Information and Communications, Mohamed Rahman Sawary congratulated the Smart Digital Africa Academy for creating the enabling environment through its platform for Sierra Leoneans.
He said that the launch and signing of the MOU will provide the skills for young people, adding that the country has budgeted 25% of the Free Quality Education to make Sierra Leone a digital country.
Mr Sawary recalled that in 2018 about three-thousand citizens were connected to internet and closed to last year 2.67 million people have connected to the internet facilities and there is an exponent of 20%.
He says over the years President Julius Maada Bio had promised that Sierra Leone like any other Africa country will not miss out digital transformation, adding that the president wants to see Sierra Leoneans live and participate in global digital economy. He expressed delight to have a group called “Smart Digital Academy’’ sets to improve the lives of Sierra Leoneans around technology.
He promised that this relationship with Smart Digital Academy will continue make the necessary strides.
Earlier in his presentation, the Acting Director of Communications, Smart Africa Nyakeh J. B. Yormeh said Smart Africa Digital has played a great role by impacting technological skills to citizens across Africa.
He added that lot of people have achieved in technological innovations and encouraged Sierra Leoneans to stay connected to Smart Africa Digital.
