Sierra Leone has launched a pioneering national Artificial Intelligence (AI) Readiness Assessment, developed by the Ministry of Communication, Technology, and Innovation in collaboration with the World Bank under the Sierra Leone Digital Transformation Project. The exercise, which was presented to a diverse group of stakeholders in Freetown, including government officials, academics, civil society, and private sector representatives, is one of the world’s first national-level assessments of its kind.
The assessment assesses the country’s preparedness in three areas: compute (infrastructure), capacity (skills and talent), and context (policy and regulations). Its goal is to identify current strengths, gaps, and concrete opportunities that will inform the creation of Sierra Leone’s upcoming National Artificial Intelligence Strategy. By focusing on practical applications, the initiative aims to ensure that AI is used responsibly and directly to address pressing national challenges.
“We are not asking how to fit AI into our systems; we are asking which national challenges can AI help us solve today,” said Salima Monorma Bah, Minister of Communication, Technology, and Innovation.
According to officials, the approach is deliberate, proactive, and locally focused, to position Sierra Leone as a regional leader in ethical, inclusive AI adoption. Priority sectors identified for potential AI-driven improvements include education, healthcare, and governance, where targeted technologies can improve service delivery and decision-making. Stakeholder engagements in Freetown allowed participants to review preliminary findings and provide perspectives that will shape policy recommendations and capacity-building plans, ensuring that the country’s AI strategy is both practical and aligned with national development goals.
