FREETOWN — The Directorate of Science, Technology, and Innovation is celebrating its first anniversary today.

On October 29th, 2018, President Julius Maada Bio officially launched the nation’s first and only agency primarily focused on science, technology and innovation. DSTI’s mission is to harness the power of technology for good – use big data, computer science, and design to bolster development for Sierra Leone’s 7 million citizens. 

“My strategic vision is developed around questions. Can we plan our economy for long term sustainable growth by deploying innovation? Can we collect reliable data over time that we can use to our advantage in economic planning in the delivery of government services?” 

These were some of the questions posed by President Bio last year, that drives the scientific research and experiments at DSTI led by Dr. Moinina David Sengeh, chief innovation officer, of Sierra Leone. His team of over 20 scientists, researchers, and technical policy experts drive the President’s vision to transform Sierra Leone into an innovation nation.

DSTI has deployed numerous cutting edge solutions.  Most noteworthy amongst these are the GoSL Integrated GIS Platform, the Free Quality Education Data Hub, and ePets, which is part of a larger national financial data services mapping platform to integrate and track government spending. 

While its key function is to support Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs), as well as the local tech and innovation ecosystem, DSTI has developed relationships with leading institutions for technology and research globally. DSTI international partners include the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, UNICEF Innovations, TED, eGovernance Academy of Estonia, Kiva, Tony Blair Institute, and the World Bank. 

On October 31, 2019, the Directorate will launch the National Innovation and Digital Strategy (NIDS), which is Sierra Leone’s framework for using technology and science to accelerate national development.