An official travel registration portal (travel.gov.sl) has been introduced by Sierra Leone’s Directorate of Science, Technology and Innovation (DSTI), which leads on the ICT Pillar of the country’s National COVID-19 Emergency Response.
DSTI says the aim of the portal is to provide information to passengers arriving at, or departing from, Freetown International Airport (also known as Lungi International Airport). Sierra Leone’s COVID-19 travel protocols require all passengers to apply for a travel permit to travel in or out of the country.
The launch of the travel portal aligns with the Government of Sierra Leone’s efforts to build traveller confidence and maintain social distancing since the reopening of national airspace to commercial flights.
According to DSTI, the portal is a one-stop-shop that will allow passengers to register and pay for their COVID-19 tests online and through mobile money. It will also allow passengers to process their travel authorisation.
Among other things, the portal will allow passengers to order a regular or premium test, with the latter offering appointment flexibility.
DSTI is working with various ministries, departments, agencies, local ICT experts and development partners to deploy digital tools to mitigate the spread of the virus in Sierra Leone. To date, these digital tools include an e-pass solution to ease travel restrictions and a COVID-19 self-check SMS and Unstructured Supplementary Service Data (USSD) mobile application.
Read more about the travel registration portal here.
The opinions expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of UK aid and the programme partners.