The Directorate of Science, Technology and Innovation – DSTI convened a technical and policy dialogue with the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) to examine practical digital responses to national mapping gaps and disaster risk reduction.
The exchange sits within JICA’s proposed pilot to enrich spatial data for disaster preparedness, with the Hill Cot community selected as the pilot site.Opening the engagement, Jasper Patrick Sembie, Director and Chief Operating Officer of DSTI, restated the Directorate’s mandate to design and deliver digital tools for Ministries, Departments, and Agencies. He affirmed DSTI’s readiness to collaborate on initiatives that strengthen public service delivery and noted that JICA’s proposal aligns with existing government digital priorities and systems.
On behalf of the delegation, Fujumira Hidenori, Senior Advisor for Urban and Regional Development at JICA’s Infrastructure Management Department, explained that the visit forms part of stakeholder engagements ahead of a pilot scheduled from February to June 2026. He shared that the project scope is still being shaped and that joint work with DSTI will help define a clear implementation roadmap, roles, and timelines.
DSTI’s Technical Director, Ibrahim Bayoh, confirmed DSTI’s capacity to support the pilot through data sharing, system design input, and institutional coordination. He referenced DSTI’s record of building digital solutions for MDAs and transferring ownership to host institutions, positioning DSTI as a technical partner able to support delivery and sustainability.
Providing details on data readiness, Sahid Kamara, Data Science Manager at DSTI, stated that the Directorate already hosts datasets from multiple MDAs on its web-based Geographic Information Systems platform. He added that DSTI is moving to an open-source online platform and is open to hosting JICA’s project data within a shared, interoperable framework that supports public sector use.
The JICA delegation outlined technical components of the pilot, including the use of Humanitarian OpenStreetMap and geoBingAn to rapidly generate maps from OpenStreetMap. The pilot will test workflows that integrate field photographs, location data, and tagging into maps under simulated natural disaster scenarios to support timely, evidence-based decision-making.
The engagement reflects a partnership-driven approach that combines DSTI’s national digital infrastructure and coordination role with JICA’s technical expertise, advancing accurate mapping and disaster resilience for Sierra Leone through shared ownership and clear implementation pathways.
