By: Nana
Appiah Acquaye
Sierra Leone is developing
safeguards to protect children’s personal data as government institutions move
towards greater integration of digital public infrastructure (DPI).
The Ministry of
Communication, Technology and Innovation (MoCTI), in partnership with UNICEF
Sierra Leone, convened a three-day multisectoral workshop that brought together
representatives from 16 government ministries to assess existing digital
systems and identify how they can be safely connected.
The workshop focused on
identifying priority use cases, assessing institutional readiness and
determining the safeguards required to ensure children’s rights and personal
data remain protected as government systems become increasingly interconnected.
Children’s information is
collected across multiple public services, including at birth, in healthcare
facilities, during school enrolment and through social protection programmes.
The ministry noted that such information is currently held across different
systems, including paper records and databases with varying levels of security.
Participants examined the
risks associated with connecting these systems and worked towards a roadmap for
developing digital public infrastructure that places children’s rights and data
protection at the centre.
Minister of Communication,
Technology and Innovation Salima Bah said the effort is a whole-of-government
responsibility requiring coordination among different sectors.
“This is not just a ministry
communication agenda, it is a whole government agenda,” Bah said, stressing
that different government institutions have responsibility for different areas
while the ministry’s role is to coordinate efforts and ensure alignment and
protection.
She noted that Sierra Leone
has already made progress in areas including connectivity, digital payments and
digital identity, but said the next stage involves integrating these systems
while putting appropriate safeguards in place to protect children.
