Sierra Leone is reviewing how children’s vaccination data can be securely collected, shared and protected as government institutions work towards stronger digital public infrastructure.

The issue was highlighted during a three-day workshop on Digital Public Infrastructure Guardrails for Children, organised by the Ministry of Communication, Technology and Innovation (MoCTI) in collaboration with UNICEF Sierra Leone and the Centre for Digital Public Infrastructure (CDPI).

The workshop examined the opportunities and risks associated with connecting government systems that hold sensitive information about children, with participants stressing the need for cybersecurity and data protection measures to be incorporated from the design stage.

As part of the discussions, representatives from 16 government ministries worked in groups around four priority areas, including birth registration, vaccination records, education data and social protection.

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The vaccination records group examined which institutions should have access to children’s health information, who should be restricted from accessing certain data, where potential breaches could occur and what security measures should be put in place to protect the information.

The discussions highlighted concerns over the security of vaccination data when records are held across different health facilities and connected through digital systems. Participants considered questions around who should have access to such information and what could happen if sensitive records were compromised.

The workshop emphasised that connected digital systems can improve the government’s ability to deliver essential services to children, but can also create greater risks if personal data is not adequately protected.

Sierra Leone’s National Cybersecurity Strategy (2021–2025) recognises the need for special initiatives to protect children online and safeguard their digital rights.

The National Cybersecurity and Crime Act of 2021 also established the National Cybersecurity Coordination Centre (NC3), which provides cybersecurity coordination, incident-response frameworks and threat-modelling guidance relevant to the protection of digital infrastructure and sensitive information.

Meanwhile, MoCTI is developing a comprehensive Data Governance Framework intended to establish government-wide standards for data classification, hosting, sharing and protection.

The Ministry is also working with the Attorney General’s Office on a Digital Government Bill containing provisions on data governance and child protection, while the government has approved a National Data Protection Policy aimed at strengthening the management of personal data and building public trust in digital systems.

The review of vaccination data security forms part of broader efforts to ensure that Sierra Leone’s expanding digital public infrastructure can support the delivery of services to children while protecting their privacy and rights.