How Digital Public Infrastructure Is Cleaning Up Governance
By Musa Paul Feika
When government business moves from paper to digital systems, corruption begins to lose ground. Across Sierra Leone and in many other countries the gradual shift from manual paperwork to computer-based systems is changing how government operates and how people are held accountable.
This transformation is being powered by what experts call Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) a set of connected systems that link citizens, government offices, and public services through digital tools such as national ID cards, e-payments, and online records. These systems make it harder for officials to cheat, hide information, or manipulate processes.
Under President Julius Maada Bio, Sierra Leone has made visible progress in building its own digital backbone.
The government has introduced a National Digital Identity system, an electronic payroll, and digital tools for procurement and revenue collection.
Together, these are known as the country’s new “digital rails” designed not only to make services faster but also cleaner and more transparent.
The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC), led by Francis Ben Kaifala, has used these digital tools to uncover and remove ghost workers, track public payments, and digitize asset declarations for public officials. Every transaction now leaves a digital trail, making it easier to trace wrongdoing.
A few years ago, getting a government contract often depended on personal connections. Today, tenders are listed openly on e-procurement platforms, allowing anyone to view and compete for them. Civil servants are now paid directly into verified bank accounts, cutting out middlemen and reducing opportunities for fraud. Citizens can also verify their own information online without relying on someone inside an office.
Sierra Leone’s digital reforms are part of a global trend one that uses technology not just to deliver services, but to build trust and transparency in governance.
As more offices go digital, corruption finds fewer places to hide.
Digital ID: The Foundation of Reform
At the heart of Sierra Leone’s digital reform is the National Identification Number (NIN), which is now required for public services, payroll, and even SIM registration.
According to the National Civil Registration Authority (NCRA), over 90 percent of citizens have been registered and assigned a NIN. “The NIN has become the backbone of our digital governance. Once everyone has a single verified identity, it becomes very difficult for ghost workers or fake pensioners to exist. Every person in the system is real and traceable,” said Moses T.F. Vibbie, Deputy Director of ICT at NCRA.
The Ministry of Finance and the National Public Procurement Authority (NPPA) have introduced an Electronic Government Procurement (e-GP) platform a major step toward transparency.
“The e-GP represents a bold move toward open government. We now have an auditable record of every tender.
This builds trust in how public money is spent,” said the Deputy Finance Minister, Jeneba Bangura.
By linking payroll systems to the NIN, the government has removed thousands of fake employees from the payroll. “We’re seeing cleaner payrolls, faster reconciliations, and better control of public funds,” said Alhaji Morlai Kamara, Director of Public Financial Management Reform.
The ACC Goes Digital
The ACC’s online Asset Declaration System (SL-ADS) built with the Directorate of Science, Technology and Innovation (DSTI) allows public officials to declare their assets electronically, linking the data to national property and vehicle registries.
“An effective asset declaration system is key to our anti-corruption strategy. We can now cross check declarations in minutes instead of months,” Commissioner Ben Kaifala explained.
DSTI’s Dr. David Moinina Sengeh explained it simply: “When data talks, corruption becomes harder to hide.”
As ordinary Sierra Leoneans are beginning to feel the difference an accountant, Hassan Conteh who resides in Freetown explained:
“It used to be about who you knew. Now I can see the tender deadlines and results online. That transparency builds confidence.”
However, some activists are cautious. “Technology alone won’t end corruption,” said Mariatu Koroma, a civil society activist in Bo. “If enforcement isn’t fair, people will just find digital ways to cheat. We need justice and open data too.”
Experts say digital progress must include everyone.
“If systems become too technical for ordinary citizens, digital inequality becomes a new problem,” said Samuel Pratt, a World Bank consultant.
Data protection is also becoming critical.
“Data is powerful and must be handled responsibly,” said Fatmata Kamara, Chief Innovation Officer at DSTI. “We’re developing a data protection framework to build public trust.”
Some civil society groups have also warned that digital tools could be misused if institutions like the ACC and Judiciary are not independent.
Sierra Leone’s digital reforms are already showing results:
Over 90% of citizens now have digital IDs.
E-procurement has been launched across key ministries.
Online asset declaration is mandatory for senior officials.
Ghost workers have been identified and removed from payrolls.
The ACC has recovered billions of old Leones through digital investigations.
“We’ve built the rails,” said Information Minister Chernor Bah. “Now we must keep the train on track transparent, inclusive, and secure.”
Building Trust, Bit by Bit
Sierra Leone’s fight against corruption is moving from slogans to systems. The new digital backbone national ID, e-procurement, digital payroll, and online asset declarations is making corruption costlier and easier to detect.
President Bio’s administration, working closely with the ACC, has combined technology and enforcement to strengthen accountability.
The real test, experts say, will be sustainability ensuring the systems endure beyond political cycles.
As one journalist put it:
“We’ve seen anti-corruption drives before, but this time the system itself doesn’t forget. The data remembers and that’s the kind of memory Sierra Leone needs.”
