Despite an estimated US$400 million investment in telecommunications infrastructure, about 60 percent of Sierra Leone’s population remains outside the country’s telecom ecosystem, Minister of Communication, Technology and Innovation Salima Monorma Bah has disclosed.

Speaking during a parliamentary stakeholder meeting in Freetown, Bah said Sierra Leone’s national fibre backbone has expanded from eight districts in 2018 to 14 of the country’s 16 districts.

However, she noted that mobile penetration remains at 50.3 percent, while only 25.1 percent of the population uses the internet. She added that Sierra Leone ranks 38th out of 47 African countries on the International Telecommunication Union’s 2024 ICT Development Index.

To address the digital gap, the minister urged telecommunications operators to increase infrastructure sharing to reduce costs and improve affordability. She also announced plans for a second subsea fibre-optic cable, backed by US$15 million in funding, and identified satellite technology as a key solution for expanding connectivity to underserved communities.

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Bah further highlighted smartphone ownership as a major barrier to digital inclusion, revealing that only 28.53 percent of Sierra Leoneans aged 15 and above owned a smartphone in 2024. She said the government remains committed to expanding digital access and improving public service delivery through its national digital transformation agenda.