Monday 24th November 2025
by inAfrika Newsroom
Nigeria and Sierra Leone have signed new agreements on digital innovation and cross-border trade, highlighting how Nigeria Sierra Leone digital cooperation is becoming a pillar of West Africa’s integration agenda. Ministers from both countries met in Freetown to conclude multiple memoranda of understanding covering digital public infrastructure, broadband, cybersecurity and cross-border services.
The Nigeria Sierra Leone digital package includes commitments on interoperable government platforms, shared approaches to digital identity and coordinated spectrum plans to support wider mobile coverage. Officials also agreed to cooperate on artificial intelligence policy, data governance, skills training and startup support, with a joint technical working group set up to monitor progress.
Private-sector players from both markets used the Freetown meetings to seal partnerships in fintech, edtech, healthtech and cloud services. Companies expect the new framework to speed up licensing, make it easier to scale products across borders and reduce regulatory uncertainty that has discouraged investment in the past.
Stronger digital ties matter beyond the two countries because West Africa’s economic weight increasingly sits in its data, payments and services networks. When neighbours align rules on digital identity, cross-border payments and spectrum, startups can expand faster and serve more customers with lower costs. That helps small firms in secondary cities, not just big platforms in Lagos or Accra. Better cooperation can also support regional projects under ECOWAS and the AfCFTA, where frictionless trade depends on trusted digital rails. If this model spreads, West African states could negotiate better deals with global tech players while keeping more value at home.
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