Speaking virtually from Freetown today at the Financial Times Africa Summit 2026, on a panel on Scaling Africa’s Tech Infrastructure and Hubs, the Minister of Communication, Technology and Innovation, Hon. Salima Monorma Bah made the case that the investment needed for digital infrastructure and energy is too large for governments to fund alone. Their task is to put in place policies and regulations that give private investors the certainty and confidence to invest. In her view, globally, government’s role should be that of “an enabler rather than the financier.”
Sierra Leone is taking this approach with another submarine cable, the undersea infrastructure that connects the country to the global internet. The Government is working with mobile network operators under a proposed model in which the operators would hold the majority stake, with the Government as a minority shareholder.
When asked about the role of multilateral development banks (MDBs) in planning financing for infrastructure, the Minister mentioned that MDBs should help countries prepare projects that private investors can back. Their role, she said, is to “get us investment-ready.” Sierra Leone is currently working with MDBs, including the World Bank and the African Development Bank, on some of its major digital infrastructure projects. The submarine cable is one example, a partnership between government, MDBs and the private sector that shows how MDB financing can bring private investment on board rather than replace it.
Energy and digital investment, she said, must be planned together. “There is no way you are going to advance your digital infrastructure without bringing energy along.”
