Sierra Leone has signaled a clear intention to integrate emerging technologies into vital sectors of the economy, phasing out traditional systems in favor of next-gen solutions.
The West African nation is turning to blockchain technology, eyeing bilateral agreements to accelerate its digitization efforts. Sierra Leone’s Minister of Communication, Technology and Innovation, Salima Monorma Bah, played host to the country’s ambassador to China, Abubakarr Karim, and several blockchain experts from Felei TechCity and Sovereign Infrastructure for Global Nations (SIGN).
During the visit, the experts expressed readiness to leverage their expertise in improving Sierra Leone’s digitization metrics. The Minister noted that the country has an “ongoing commitment” to leverage emerging technologies.
The minister added that a solid blockchain foundation can be the springboard for innovation across the West African nation. Monorma cited a strong regulatory framework and a clear policy direction as a compass for Sierra Leone’s push toward integrating blockchain technology.
The foreign experts will engage with key government and private stakeholders to identify practical blockchain applications for the country. They will also enter into high-level discussions on potential blockchain use cases for digital identity management, public record systems, elections, and resource traceability in mining. Apart from finance, the use cases can extend to healthcare, education, and public service delivery.
Previously, Sierra Leone has dabbled with blockchain technology, collaborating with non-profit Kiva to roll out a blockchain-based ID system for the country. Gleaning from the early success of the collaboration, the country is keen on expanding blockchain utility nationwide.
Africa goes all-in with blockchain
To reduce the widening technological gap, apart from Sierra Leone, other African countries are leaning on blockchain to streamline their digitization efforts. Nigeria has begun implementing a national blockchain policy to tackle real estate fraud and improve airport processes.
Zambia has made keen progress with blockchain-based digital IDs, while others are latching on to improve financial inclusion metrics. Blockchain-focused companies have outperformed the ecosystem, bagging 13% of all venture capital (VC) funding on the continent, signaling a growing appetite for emerging technologies.
Vietnam’s livestock goes high-tech
Elsewhere, Vietnam’s livestock sector is undergoing a significant digital transformation with sustainability at the heart of operations.
Smallholder farms in the Southeast Asian country are transitioning to industrial-scale production. The sweeping changes across the ecosystem are poised to improve food safety standards for consumers while strengthening global competitiveness.
Local livestock farms are increasingly digitizing records to meet health and export standards, while revolutionizing supply chain efficiency to offer new global funding opportunities for the sector.
Vietnamese experts are making inroads in disease-resistant breeding research and smart monitoring to detect anomalies, while several local enterprises have introduced automated feeding systems and wearables for livestock for tracking purposes.
The combined utility of smart technologies in Vietnam’s livestock industry has shown promise in ushering in a circular agricultural ecosystem. Already, leading operations in the country have launched waste-treatment and bioprocessing systems, transforming manure into organic fertilizers for farming.
The report cited Hung Nhon Group’s strides with smart technologies over the last 20 years, chronicling its growth from a small-scale poultry operation into Vietnam’s leading livestock company. Hung Nhon Chairman Vu Manh Hung disclosed that the company has gained a raft of international certifications under the Global GAP standards, partnering with international firms.
“After the early failure of small-scale livestock farming, we decided to collaborate with leading global agricultural corporations such as De Heus from the Netherlands and Belga from Belgium,” said Hung.
Seeing the string of successes racked by Hung Nhon, several local enterprises are pivoting to digital-first operations to improve efficiency and productivity.
Embracing emerging technology in agriculture
While finance and healthcare appear to be at the bleeding edge of innovation, agricultural sector players are flooding in to adopt blockchain and artificial intelligence (AI) solutions for their internal operations. Several Vietnamese firms have already turned to blockchain to authenticate their halal food market, a growing trend across Southeast Asia.
In the Far East, Japanese enterprises are incorporating AI for farm processes, notching milestones in tomato harvesting while addressing labor shortages. Experts say AI use cases in agriculture will reach a market capitalization of $10 billion by 2032 as enterprises pursue cost-saving benefits.
Watch | From farm to plate: Blockchain revolutionizes livestock industry
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BlockchainDigital TransformationDigitalizationDigitizationHung Nhon GroupSalima Monorma BahSierra LeoneVietnam