By Sorie Ibrahim Fofanah
The Chief Minister, David Moinina Sengeh has said that the government of President Julius Maada Bio has expanded internet connectivity to over ninety percent of the population, from seventy percent six years ago.
Sengeh was speaking as a keynote speaker on the topic “Leadership and Governance” at the fifth World Government Services hosted in Dubia on 12th January 2024.
He said that 3G mobile connectivity would be one hundred percent in the next five years. He noted that digitizing government services in 2018 was a novelty to many and therefore criticized the move.
Speaking about their activities concerning digitalization, he said they built digital solutions, citing the Unstructured Supplementary Service Data (USSD) dictionary for schools, and Short Message Service (SMS) online result checker.
In delivering better learning in the classrooms, he said they supplied mobile artificial intelligence chart bots in all schools to monitor the delivery of “better content” to the students.
“The SMS result checker I had mentioned earlier ensures that by simply sending a text message parents and pupils were able to check their exam(public exam) results for free and instantaneously,” he emphasised, saying it removed the burned on parents to pay for them to know the grades of their kids.
Recalling his appointment as the Minister of Basic and Senior Secondary Education (MBSSE) in 2019, he said they demonstrated technology that was deployed “appropriately” for the public good, adding it was a great enabler for development.
During Covid-19, Sengeh said they were able to use the “hybrids” of technologies to ensure that they were among the first sets of countries to reopen schools “safely.”
He disclosed to the summit assembly that Sierra Leoneans are clamoring to use technology to solve their greatest problems, noting that they are embarking on digitalization in public services.
“That’s how we collect our taxes and revenues, reduce corruption and bureaucracy, or register businesses in corporate services, we are embarking on a digitalization journey that sets out to make public services efficient and reasonable for all,” he emphasised.
For them in government, he said their goal is to improve and optimize the service delivery of their people.
David Moinina Sengeh served as the Chief Innovation Officer, Directorate of Science and Technology in the Office of the President from 2018 to 2019 until he was appointed as the Minister of Basic and Senior Secondary School Education in the final third of 2019.
He is currently the country’s Chief Minister.
Copyright © 2024 Politico (14/02/24)
