Sierra Leone Developers Get New AI Tool to Meet Global Digital Standards
Aaron Parker Sierra Leonean developers are set to benefit from a new AI-assisted platform designed to help them build digital solutions that meet global Digital Public Goods (DPG) standards.
The platform was showcased by David Ogoo, Founder of Christex Foundation, during UNICEF’s event, “DPGs to Digital Transformation: Sierra Leone’s Open Source Journey,” held on the sidelines of the 81st United Nations General Assembly (#UNGA81).
The new tool, known as the DPG Pipeline, is designed to assess digital products against the nine established DPG criteria and guide developers on the specific areas they need to improve before submitting their solutions to the DPG Registry.
Ogoo explained that the initiative is aimed at helping Sierra Leone’s growing pool of technology talent move beyond simply developing software to producing solutions that meet recognised standards for quality, security and digital public goods.
He noted that Sierra Leone has considerable technical talent, but many developers are self-taught, which can sometimes result in gaps in software development principles and other technical standards.
According to Ogoo, the DPG framework provides developers with a structured standard to follow when building their products, helping them improve the quality and security of their solutions.
To make the process more accessible, Christex Foundation developed the DPG Pipeline as an AI-assisted platform that can evaluate a product against the nine criteria and provide developers with guidance on what needs to be fixed.
The platform was trained using the DPG criteria as well as expertise from UNICEF’s Office of Innovation, effectively translating the assessment approach used by experienced reviewers into a tool that developers can use directly during the development process.
The initiative was given six to seven months to support teams in getting their solutions ready for submission to the DPG Registry.
Ogoo disclosed that four teams have already met all nine criteria and submitted their solutions, while three other teams have reached six or seven of the nine criteria.
The platform is also intended to help developers who may not initially understand the DPG principles. By providing guidance throughout the development process, the tool can help developers work towards producing solutions that meet the required standards.
However, Ogoo stressed that building technical capacity must be accompanied by opportunities for developers to apply their skills.
He said training developers without creating sufficient demand for their skills would limit the impact of the initiative, highlighting Sierra Leone’s Open Source First Policy as an important part of creating opportunities for locally developed digital solutions.
The sustainability of digital public goods also remains a key consideration. Ogoo pointed to the need for local developers to remain involved in maintaining and improving the tools after their initial launch.
He emphasised that the long-term success of DPGs will depend not only on building the solutions but also on having local technical teams capable of maintaining the code and continuing to develop the products.
The DPG Pipeline is now live and accessible to developers seeking to assess and improve their digital solutions against the DPG criteria.