• Nigeria and Sierra Leone signed two major digital cooperation agreements on November 21–22 during the Nigeria–Sierra Leone Digital Economy Mission in Freetown.
• The first agreement sets a joint roadmap for digital transformation, including interoperability, digital public infrastructure, innovation and talent mobility through Nigeria’s 3MTT program.
• The second agreement establishes a cross-border AI research and talent partnership, involving government agencies and tech organizations from both countries.

Nigeria and Sierra Leone signed two major digital agreements on Friday, November 21, and Saturday, November 22, on the sidelines of the Nigeria–Sierra Leone Digital Economy Mission held in Freetown. The countries aim to reinforce regional digital integration, modernize infrastructure and promote innovation, skills development and cross-border digital trade.

The first agreement, signed after the opening day, establishes a cooperation framework on digital transformation. The framework sets a structured roadmap focused on digital public infrastructure, alignment of national policies, support for start-ups and innovation, cross-border digital trade, and talent exchange, notably through Nigeria’s 3MTT (3 Million Technical Talent) program.

The second agreement formalizes a partnership dedicated to AI research, talent development and the localization of AI models. It brings together Sierra Leone’s Ministry of Communication, Technology and Innovation, Nigeria’s NITDA, and the technology organizations Awarri (Nigeria) and the Christex Foundation (Sierra Leone. The partnership aims to strengthen AI governance, develop local datasets, create innovation testbeds and build joint capacity-building programs.

The agreements come as Abuja and Freetown seek to position themselves as key drivers of West Africa’s digital transformation. They also aim to harmonize their policies with regional standards, particularly those of ECOWAS on digital economy, cybersecurity and e-commerce.

Nigeria expects the agreements to support its broader digital-economy reforms by improving interoperability within the Mano River Union, expanding test environments for Nigerian innovations and strengthening alignment with regional digital frameworks. Sierra Leone expects the partnership to accelerate the deployment of digital public infrastructure, enhance AI capabilities and improve its financial integration with Nigeria.

This article was initially published in French by Samira Njoya

Adapted in English by Ange Jason Quenum