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<h2 id="sierra-leone-joins-bhutan-in-blockchain-identity-push">Sierra Leone Joins Bhutan in Blockchain Identity Push</h2>
<p>Sierra Leone has signed a partnership with Bhutan NDI and SIGN Foundation to develop a blockchain-based national digital identity platform. <cite>The Government of Sierra Leone, through the Ministry of Communication, Technology and Innovation (MoCTI), signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the SIGN Foundation to develop blockchain-powered national digital systems aimed at accelerating the country's digital transformation.</cite></p>
<p><cite>The MoU was signed by Salima Monorma Bah, representing Sierra Leone's MoCTI, and Xin Yan, CEO of Sign, to jointly develop the nation's blockchain-based digital ID and stablecoin payment infrastructure.</cite><cite>Key priorities include a National Digital Identity Infrastructure, Digital Wallet Integration, Blockchain-enabled Payment Systems, and an Asset Tokenisation Framework.</cite><cite>Both parties share a long-term vision to establish a crypto-friendly legislative framework that encourages responsible blockchain adoption and supports future innovation across sectors.</cite></p>
<p>Binance co-founder Changpeng Zhao welcomed the development on X, saying: "Great to see national blockchain deployments." Zhao has been advising countries on establishing crypto strategic reserves and broader blockchain adoption, and has said he is in talks with multiple governments about tokenizing national assets.</p>
<h2 id="bhutan-as-a-blueprint">Bhutan as a Blueprint</h2>
<p>The Sierra Leone deal draws on the experience of Bhutan, which has become a widely cited model for national blockchain identity systems. <cite>Bhutan became the first country in the world with a self-sovereign digital identity in late 2023 and has since been held up as a model for self-sovereign identity (SSI).</cite><cite>Bhutan NDI uses self-sovereign identity technology to allow its approximately 800,000 residents to store and share digital credentials for online services.</cite></p>
<p><cite>The transition enables the NDI platform to issue verifiable credentials and link decentralized identifiers to Ethereum's validator network, allowing citizens to cryptographically prove attributes such as age, residency, or citizenship without relying on centralized databases.</cite><cite>Bhutan remains the first nation in the world to roll out a self-sovereign identity system at population scale, setting an example that has prompted other governments to explore similar approaches.</cite></p>
<p><cite>The Sierra Leone partnership is part of the country's broader strategy to position itself as a regional hub for emerging technologies, particularly in blockchain and AI, while enhancing transparency, financial inclusion, and the delivery of public services.</cite></p>
<p><strong>Sources:</strong><br><a href="https://techafricanews.com/2025/11/12/sierra-leone-partners-with-sign-foundation-to-launch-national-blockchain-infrastructure/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">TechAfrica News: Sierra Leone Partners with SIGN Foundation to Launch National Blockchain Infrastructure</a><br><a href="https://www.theblock.co/post/374480/bhutan-migrates-national-digital-id-system-ethereum" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">The Block: Bhutan to Anchor Its National Digital Identity System on Ethereum</a><br><a href="https://www.biometricupdate.com/202511/sierra-leone-partners-to-build-blockchain-powered-digital-id-system" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Biometric Update: Sierra Leone Partners to Build Blockchain-Powered Digital ID System</a></p>

CZ Praises Sierra Leone and Bhutan Blockchain ID Partnership

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