Sierra Leone has taken a bold step towards technological innovation with the launch of one of the world’s first national Artificial Intelligence (AI) Readiness Assessments. The initiative, spearheaded by the Ministry of Communication, Technology and Innovation in collaboration with the World Bank through the Sierra Leone Digital Transformation Project, seeks to harness AI responsibly to tackle the country’s most pressing development challenges.
The assessment, whose initial findings were presented in Freetown, brought together Government officials, representatives from academia, Civil Society and the private sector. It evaluates the nation’s preparedness for AI adoption across three critical pillars: Compute (infrastructure), Capacity (skills and talent) and Context (policy and regulation). Insights from the study will inform the design of Sierra Leone’s forthcoming National Artificial Intelligence Strategy.
Minister of Communication, Technology and Innovation, Salima Monorma Bah, emphasized the forward-thinking nature of the initiative. “We are not asking how to fit AI into our systems; we are asking which national challenges AI can help us solve today,” she said.
The proactive approach positions Sierra Leone as a potential regional leader in ethical and inclusive AI adoption. By focusing on locally relevant priorities such as education, healthcare and governance, the Government aims to leverage AI to improve service delivery and drive sustainable development.
The Ministry and the World Bank team highlighted the importance of collaboration among all stakeholders to ensure that AI technologies are implemented responsibly, ethically and in a manner that benefits all Sierra Leoneans.
With this initiative, Sierra Leone joins a small group of countries globally undertaking national AI readiness assessments, signaling its commitment to innovation, technological growth and strategic development in the digital age.
