Sierra Leone - Digital Innovation for Government Efficiency and Sector Transformation (DIGEST) — Sierra Leone

Overview

This project, Digital Innovation for Government Efficiency and Sector Transformation (DIGEST), leverages digital solutions to enhance governance, improve aid coordination, and catalyze economic transformation in transition states. Sierra Leone and The Gambia, both grappling with high poverty rates (59.2% and 53.4%, respectively), face structural inefficiencies exacerbated by declining Official Development Assistance (ODA), which fell globally by 4% in 2023 alone. Without more effective coordination mechanisms, fragmented and duplicative donor interventions persist, limiting impact and sustainability. The project in Sierra Leone and the Gambia will focus on two key initiatives. First, it will enhance the coordination of development finance by creating a centralized digital platform to improve aid efficiency and optimize resource use. In addition, the project will include a detailed assessment and technical assistance of the Felei Tech City, poised to become Sierra Leone’s premier technology and innovation hub and support the implementation of the Fintech policy and digital literacy/capacity building program in the Gambia.