Freetown, Sierra Leone – April 2018
As Sierra Leone prepared to go to the polls in 2018 elections, aLabs Africa innovation Lab sponsored a group of young innovators at aLabs Africa to develope and launch an innovative citizen information system to keep the public informed throughout the electoral process in the coutnry.
They used open-source platforms RapidPro (for SMS text messaging) with a GSM modem and a smart phone as the sms server, and Ushahidi platform (for web-based reporting and mapping). The team created an integrated system that allowed citizens to receive trusted election updates directly on their mobile phones, while also tracking reports online.
With mobile phone penetration much higher than internet access in the country, the SMS service ensured that even people in rural and hard-to-reach areas could stay connected to credible election information.
The system provided real-time updates on voting procedures, election day announcements, election results and general election information, which gave Sierra Leoneans confidence and clarity during a highly anticipated national event – an election which saw the newly elected president Julius Maada Bio (SLPP) won over Dr. Samura Kamara (APC) – as the people of Sierra Leone decided.
The platform helped calm tensions, promote transparency, and foster trust in the process by reducing misinformation and rumors
Local citizens widely embraced the service, with thousands of SMS interactions recorded, while the Ushahidi web platform gave the diaspora community and media outlets a clear picture of how the elections were unfolding on the ground with live data, information and geo locations and maps.
The team also used kobo collect tools (app and web dashborad) to help gather incident reports for a national institution on election matters.
This shows how innovation with open-source technologies and tools can empower citizens and strengthen democracy. “We wanted to give people access to the right information at the right time. Elections are about trust, and technology can help bridge the gap between institutions and the people,” the team said.
The success of this project implemented within aLabs Africa Hub in Freetown, demonstrated Sierra Leone’s growing innovation ecosystem and the power of youth-driven solutions in addressing/solving local national problem.
Be part of aLabs Africa or support our work to continue supporting innovators and enterpreneurs to solve local problems in Sierra Leone.
