By: Mohamed Sahr
In the bid of strengthening ICT and research based infrastructure across universities, colleges and technical institutions in Sierra Leone, Library Support for Embedded NREN Service and E-infrastructure (LIBSENSE) in collaboration with partners has admonished the government of Sierra Leone to embark on open science policy roadmap during its two days symposium at the New Brookfields Hotel in Freetown.
Dr. Haja Wurie, Minister of Higher and Technical Education said open science could not just be viewed as an abstract concept but a force of change that could potentially elevate academic capability as well as foster innovation and drive sustainable development.
She emphasized that her Ministry would team up with partners in order to create the enabling environment that would serve as the closest thing to a silver bullet through collaborative enforcement of policy roadmap to illuminate ICT connectivity, accessibility and research-based facility for competitive approach that matched with International best practices.
“Our policy must prioritize openness, collaboration and equitable access to knowledge using the different platforms and maximizing open door skills,” Dr. Wurie assured.
She continued that for the country to forge comfortable policy environment, there should be a deeper understanding of the country’s strengths and weaknesses. Madam Minister added that they should encrypt the institutions with the right facility needed to enhance innovation, research-based materials and flow of data.
Ibrahim Sannoh, Deputy Minister of Communication, Technology and Innovation said the principal objective of the Ministry was to create the enabling ecosystem that would accelerate digitalization throughout the spell of President Bio’s second term in office.
He furthered that the Ministry of Communication, Technology and Innovation wanted to ensure that the country moved from cash to cashless society by establishing user-friendly accessibility of online portals for universities, colleges, technical institutions and schools. “This is the ambition and we cannot do them in isolation,” he said.
Sannoh encouraged ICT experts, stakeholders, academic researchers, technocrats and librarians to actualize the reality of digitalization and connectivity across the country.
Omo Oaiya, who doubled as the Coordinator of LIBSENSE and Chief Strategic Officer, West and Centre Africa Research Education Network (WACREN) said open science focused on making research worthy with the necessary data That would attract academic purposes; adding that open science played the role of creating a real time environment with the aid of connectivity in order to access research-based materials at different places.
Dr. Thomas Philip Songu, ICT Director at Njala University and Chief Executive Officer of Sierra Leone Research Education Network (SLREN) said the two days symposium addressed political leaders, decision makers, academics, ICT professionals in order to dust collaboration and creating awareness in terms of connectivity and access to scholarly works to tertiary institutions in Sierra Leone.
He mentioned that the aspect of open science ensured forge togetherness and open space for inter-university relationships within sub-Sahara Africa.
Dr. Songu said the end of the symposium would speedy up the establishment of policy roadmap for the country to embark on open science through support from government and partners for the creation of internet connectivity, research-based infrastructure and access to research materials for students.