The Ministry of Communication, Technology and Innovation, in partnership with the World Bank, has begun one of the world’s first national artificial intelligence readiness assessments as part of the Sierra Leone Digital Transformation Project.
The initiative is designed to ensure AI is applied responsibly to address the country’s most urgent development challenges. Initial findings were presented in Freetown during sector-wide stakeholder engagements that brought together government officials, academia, civil society, and the private sector.
The assessment examines Sierra Leone’s preparedness across three pillars: Compute (infrastructure), Capacity (skills and talent), and Context (policy and regulation). Insights from the study will guide the development of Sierra Leone’s forthcoming National AI Strategy.
“We are not asking how to fit AI into our systems; we are asking which national challenges AI can help us solve today,” said Salima Monorma Bah, minister of communication, technology and innovation.
By taking this approach, Sierra Leone aims to position itself as a regional leader in ethical and inclusive AI adoption, with plans to target priority sectors including education, healthcare, and governance.
