Sierra Leone partners with Bhutan on digital identity platform
The governments of Sierra Leone and Bhutan have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Sign Foundation to collaborate on the design, development, and implementation of a digital identity platform for Sierra Leone.
An announcement says the agreement between Sierra Leone’s Ministry of Communication, Technology and Innovation (MoCTI), Bhutan National Digital Identity Limited (Bhutan NDI) and SIGN “marks a significant milestone in Sierra Leone’s digital transformation journey and reflects a shared commitment to building secure, inclusive, and interoperable Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) that empowers citizens, strengthens public service delivery, and supports economic development.”
It builds on an existing MOU between Sierra Leone and scalable digital infrastructure firm Sign, enlisting Sign to power the country’s digital ID plan with blockchain technology.
The joint project will leverage open-source technologies and W3C-compliant verifiable credentials, and place “a strong emphasis on institutional capacity building and knowledge transfer.”
“The parties will work closely to strengthen local technical capabilities, develop implementation expertise within Sierra Leone, and establish governance mechanisms that ensure the platform can be sustainably managed and evolved by national institutions over time.”
Each partner contributes a particular element of expertise. MoCTI will provide strategic leadership, policy direction, and coordination across government institutions. Bhutan NDI will bring experience in national digital identity architecture and provide the foundational open-source identity framework, with Bhutan’s National Digital Identity program serving as a model. Sign will lead the system design, solution architecture and technical implementation of the platform.
The MoU also establishes a joint working group to develop a phased strategic implementation roadmap for deployment of the national digital ID system. Per the release, the collaboration reflects “a growing commitment among governments and technology partners to build interoperable, citizen-centric digital public infrastructure using open standards and internationally recognised best practices.”