By Amin Kef (Ranger)
Minister of Information and Civic Education, Chernor Bah, has represented His Excellency President Dr. Julius Maada Bio at the International Conference on Information Integrity and Independent Media held in Paris, France, on Wednesday, October 29, 2025. The conference, co-convened by President Emmanuel Macron of France and former President John Dramani Mahama of Ghana, brought together heads of state, Government Ministers and international partners to strengthen global cooperation for information integrity, combat disinformation and promote independent journalism.
Chernor Bah shared the stage with President Macron, President Mahama, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan of Armenia, Prime Minister Edi Rama of Albania and President Maia Sandu of Moldova in a high-level discussion on global media reform and information freedom. He was accompanied by Sierra Leone’s Ambassador to France, Mohamed Kanja Sesay.
In his remarks, Minister Chernor Bah expressed pride in representing President Bio and championing Sierra Leone’s achievements in media reform and open governance. “It was an honour to share the stage with world leaders to promote President Bio’s bold Information Freedom Agenda, which continues to position Sierra Leone as a continental leader in media reform and transparency,” he said.
He highlighted Sierra Leone’s significant progress under President Bio’s administration, including the historic repeal of the criminal libel law, the adoption of a forward-looking National Information Policy, the ongoing enactment of a Data Protection Law, and the establishment of a National Fund for Public Interest Media ,a model initiative that supports independent journalism through collaboration among public, private and development partners.
The Minister underscored that those reforms demonstrate President Bio’s firm belief that democracy can only thrive when citizens have access to credible, factual and trustworthy information. “These are not just policies,” he said, “they are proof of our commitment to building a democratic society anchored on truth, trust and accountability.”
World leaders and representatives at the Paris forum reaffirmed their shared commitment to counter misinformation, strengthen public trust and protect the independence of journalism amid increasing digital disruption.
As current Chair of ECOWAS, Sierra Leone pledged to continue promoting information freedom and responsible journalism across the region. Minister Chernor Bah thanked Ambassador Mohamed Kanja Sesay for his continued support in advancing Sierra Leone’s leadership and partnerships on the global stage.
The conference concluded with renewed pledges from Governments and international institutions to defend information integrity and ensure that access to free and factual information remains a universal public good and a foundation of democratic governance.
