## Sierra Leone’s David Sengeh on Digital Innovation – IMF F&D ## Source details **Canonical URL:** [Sierra Leone’s David Sengeh on Digital Innovation – IMF F&D](https://www.imf.org/en/publications/fandd/issues/2021/03/david-sengeh-of-sierra-leone-on-digital-education-and-economy-trenches) ## Other formats - [Markdown version](/en/publications/fandd/issues/2021/03/david-sengeh-of-sierra-leone-on-digital-education-and-economy-trenches/index.md) - [Structured JSON version](/en/publications/fandd/issues/2021/03/david-sengeh-of-sierra-leone-on-digital-education-and-economy-trenches/index.json) - [Bundle manifest](/en/publications/fandd/issues/2021/03/david-sengeh-of-sierra-leone-on-digital-education-and-economy-trenches/bundle-manifest.json) ## Bibliographic details - Authors: ADAM BEHSUDI - Published: March 1, 2021 --- ### National digital innovation strategy and governance - National Innovation and Digital Strategy guides implementation of innovation across government and supports the medium-term national development plan. - Directorate of Science, Technology, and Innovation (DSTI) objective: ensure government delivery of the national development plan and design an innovation ecosystem centered on total digitalization. - Core digital priorities: digital identity, a digital economy, and digital governance. - DSTI leads ICT and data efforts for the national COVID emergency response center; chief innovation officer advises the president and sits on the presidential task force for COVID. ### COVID-19 digital responses and technical tools deployed - Information dissemination channels: an app, mobile phone solutions (text messaging), and online travel portal for tracking tested passengers. - Health and monitoring tools: quarantine app to manage monitoring of service delivery to quarantine facilities and homes; synchronization of districts’ health information systems; application programming interfaces (APIs) build dashboards for decision makers. - Surveillance and analytics: drones monitored and evaluated compliance with stay-at-home orders; anonymized call data records and surveys used to understand effects of government policies. ### Education policy, digitalization, and statistics - Education as flagship program: "Some 22 percent of our budget is devoted to education." - Coverage and enrollment: - "Thirty percent of the population is receiving free public education." - "We added 9 percent more students to the total in-school population between 2018 and 2020." - "The country’s 11,400 schools employ about 80,000 teachers." - "When schools finally reopened in July 2020 for examination classes, we brought back over 450,000 students for in-class learning and supported them via radio and online instruction." - Service delivery: government pays tuition for every student in government and government-assisted school and pays exam fees for all students; school subsidies, learning materials, and school meal programs coordinated using data and digitalization. - Digital learning access tools: expanded radio teaching program (revamped from 2014 Ebola crisis); procured new radio transmitters and worked with community radio stations to reach nearly all districts. - Mobile access and low-tech innovation: launched an SMS and USSD accessible dictionary; "Some 87 percent of our people, however, do have mobile connectivity." ### Inclusion, gender, and vulnerable groups - Policy of "radical inclusion": ensure every child—regardless of family origin, location, gender, or disability—is educated. - Overturned ban on pregnant girls attending school to avoid repeating exclusion experienced after Ebola. - Targeted social support during pandemic: expanded and revamped social welfare base; provided direct cash to women in various informal sectors; "the support is ongoing." - Increased consideration for people with disabilities and vulnerable groups in policy and program design. ### Health system investments and operational changes - Expanded information publication and measures to allow facilities to make more beds available. - New travel portal system in place at airports and borders enabling connection with people entering the country by air and land. - Investments framed as contributing to a more robust health system and epidemic control capacity. ### Lessons, priorities, and personal perspectives - Key lesson for policymaking: design solutions that work for everyone, not only in emergencies—"solutions should work for everyone, not just in emergencies." - Recognition of unpaid care and labor burdens during lockdowns: pandemic revealed labor and loss of time for stay-at-home parents. - Personal motivation: Sengeh draws inspiration from music and public service; album "Love Notes to Salone" intended to inspire young people and convey hope and civic empowerment. *Source: Sierra Leone’s David Sengeh on Digital Innovation – IMF F&D* --- ## Content in this bundle - **الإدماج الجذري** - [الإدماج الجذري (Markdown version)](/-/media/files/publications/fandd/article/2021/march/ar/trenches-ar.pdf.md){rel="alternate" type="text/markdown"} - [الإدماج الجذري (PDF)](/-/media/files/publications/fandd/article/2021/march/ar/trenches-ar.pdf){rel="external" type="application/pdf"} - **前 沿 - 将包容进行到底 - 金融与发展 - 国际货币基金组织季刊 -2021年3月号·第58卷** - [前 沿 - 将包容进行到底 - 金融与发展 - 国际货币基金组织季刊 -2021年3月号·第58卷 (Markdown version)](/-/media/files/publications/fandd/article/2021/march/chn/trenches-chn.pdf.md){rel="alternate" type="text/markdown"} - [前 沿 - 将包容进行到底 - 金融与发展 - 国际货币基金组织季刊 -2021年3月号·第58卷 (PDF)](/-/media/files/publications/fandd/article/2021/march/chn/trenches-chn.pdf){rel="external" type="application/pdf"} - **Inclusion radicale** - [Inclusion radicale (Markdown version)](/-/media/files/publications/fandd/article/2021/march/es/david-sengeh-of-sierra-leone-on-digital-education-and-economy-trenches-es.pdf.md){rel="alternate" type="text/markdown"} - [Inclusion radicale (PDF)](/-/media/files/publications/fandd/article/2021/march/es/david-sengeh-of-sierra-leone-on-digital-education-and-economy-trenches-es.pdf){rel="external" type="application/pdf"} - **Inclusion radicale** - [Inclusion radicale (Markdown version)](/-/media/files/publications/fandd/article/2021/march/fr/david-sengeh-of-sierra-leone-on-digital-education-and-economy-trenches-fr.pdf.md){rel="alternate" type="text/markdown"} - [Inclusion radicale (PDF)](/-/media/files/publications/fandd/article/2021/march/fr/david-sengeh-of-sierra-leone-on-digital-education-and-economy-trenches-fr.pdf){rel="external" type="application/pdf"} --- _Source: https://www.imf.org/en/publications/fandd/issues/2021/03/david-sengeh-of-sierra-leone-on-digital-education-and-economy-trenches_