By: Nana
Appiah Acquaye
Sierra Leone’s Minister of
Communication, Technology and Innovation, Salima Bah, has called for greater
private sector investment in digital infrastructure and energy, saying
governments cannot finance the scale of investment required on their own.
Speaking virtually from
Freetown at the Financial Times Africa Summit 2026 during a panel discussion on
scaling Africa’s technology infrastructure and hubs, Bah said governments
should establish policies and regulations that give private investors the certainty
and confidence to invest.
Globally, she said, the
government’s role should be that of “an enabler rather than the financier.”
Sierra Leone is applying
this approach to plans for another submarine cable, which would strengthen the
undersea infrastructure connecting the country to the global internet. The
government is working with mobile network operators under a proposed model in
which the operators would hold the majority stake, while the government would
remain a minority shareholder.
Bah also called on
multilateral development banks (MDBs) to help countries prepare infrastructure
projects that can attract private investment.
Their role, she said, is to
“get us investment-ready.”
Sierra Leone is currently
working with MDBs, including the World Bank and the African Development Bank,
on major digital infrastructure projects. The proposed submarine cable is one
example of a partnership involving government, development banks and the
private sector, through which development financing can help bring private
investment on board rather than replace it.
Bah stressed that energy and
digital investment must be planned together, noting that reliable energy
infrastructure is essential to advancing digital connectivity.
“There is no way you are
going to advance your digital infrastructure without bringing energy along,”
she said.
