An e-Justice tool that uses a Geographic Information System (GIS) developed at The Directorate of Science, Technology, and Innovation (DSTI) will digitise local courts and cases in Sierra Leone.
E-Justice is the use of technology to improve transparency and efficiency for wider access to justice.
A prototype of the integrated GIS tool was used to visualise, and digitally map the geographic locations of Sierra Leone’s local courts. The geospatial mapping of the local courts is the first nationwide digitisation of the geographic locations of 241 local courts in 149 chiefdoms over the past decade in rural Sierra Leone. Upon deployment of the GIS portal, citizens and policymakers will be able to log in to locate any court and to gain a better understanding of the nature and type of disputes at the provincial level.
“In the past, we relied on data that was not initiated by the government,” said Dr Priscilla Schwartz, Sierra Leone’s Attorney General and Minister of Justice.
“Thanks to DSTI, we have credible government-owned data to assist with the digitisation of Sierra Leone’s justice sector.”
