By Alhaji Abubakarr Bah, Information Attaché, Embassy of the Republic of Sierra Leone, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia – Sierra Leone’s Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Hon. Alpha Sesay Esq., has held high-level discussions with UNESCO on strengthening collaboration in artificial intelligence (AI) governance and capacity building during the 4th UNESCO Global Forum on the Ethics of AI (GFEAI 2026) in Riyadh.
The bilateral meeting, held on the sidelines of the global forum, brought together the Attorney-General and UNESCO’s Assistant Director-General for Science and AI, Dr. Abou Amani, and his team to explore opportunities for cooperation in advancing responsible AI development in Sierra Leone.
During the discussions, Hon. Alpha Sesay highlighted President Julius Maada Bio’s Big Five Game Changers agenda and outlined how emerging AI technologies could support national development priorities.
The Attorney-General emphasized that while Sierra Leone has not yet enacted specific AI legislation, the government has adopted a clear and deliberate approach to AI governance, ensuring that the technology aligns with the country’s development goals and national priorities.
He informed UNESCO officials that Sierra Leone already has a cybersecurity framework in place and has made significant progress in drafting a Data Protection Bill, a key step toward strengthening the country’s digital governance architecture.
Hon. Sesay further argued that artificial intelligence should not remain the preserve of experts and policymakers alone but should be made accessible and beneficial to ordinary citizens.
“We are interested in the Readiness Assessment Methodology (RAM) and in tapping into UNESCO’s support extended to other countries,” he stated.
The Attorney-General also disclosed that Sierra Leone has proposed a regional framework for AI governance cooperation within the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), underscoring the country’s commitment to promoting responsible and coordinated AI development across the region.
In response, Dr. Abou Amani welcomed Sierra Leone’s interest in advancing AI governance and indicated UNESCO’s readiness to support the country through its Readiness Assessment Methodology process.
He also confirmed that UNESCO’s Communication and Information Leone later this month to conduct training for members of the legal profession, including judicial officers, state counsels and private legal practitioners.
Both parties agreed to deepen discussions and explore future areas of cooperation when the UNESCO delegation arrives in Freetown.
The Attorney-General was accompanied to the meeting by State Counsel Alpha Amadu Bah Esq.