Sierra Leone’s Ministry of Communications, Technology and Innovation hosted a cross-ministry and private sector roundtable during the week of the 2026 United Nations General Assembly in New York to discuss the interrelated issues of energy security, digital sovereignty, connectivity, and regional trade. Senior government officials, telecom operators and international infrastructure players met during a session led by Minister Salima Monorma Bah to identify practical investment opportunities across the digital value chain.
The discussions involved the Ministries of Energy, Trade and Industry, and leading private-sector and technology partners, indicating a coordinated government approach to meeting the needs of a rapidly evolving digital economy in terms of infrastructure and policy. Minister of Energy Cyril Grant attended in person, while Minister of Trade and Industry Ibrahim Alpha Sesay joined virtually, showing cross-ministry consensus on priorities for connectivity and trade facilitation.
The discussion was enriched by private-sector input. Africell Sierra Leone participated as a key industry voice, sharing its operational footprint, infrastructure priorities, and future investment opportunities, and highlighting the essential role of the private sector in accelerating Sierra Leone’s digital transformation. SierraTel also shared information on its current operations and future investment plans, including the recently approved partnership to relaunch the company as a mobile virtual network operator (MVNO), which should expand both market participation and service offerings.
A range of technical and policy actors provided international and sectoral expertise. The International Data Centre Authority praised Sierra Leone’s efforts to build data infrastructure that meets global standards, which will help the country attract data-centre investment and facilitate secure digital services. Bell Canada participated in discussions on paths to 5G deployment, and organisations like Africa Climate and Energy Nexus, Aton Path, and AEB addressed the energy capacity and sustainability issues required to support telecom networks, data centres, and other backbone infrastructure.
Roundtable participants discussed how a reliable, resilient energy supply underpins telecommunications infrastructure and advanced services, and how improved connectivity can bolster regional trade integration. The sessions highlighted actionable investment opportunities in the power supply, site development, data centre construction, spectrum, and regulatory structures that enable competitive service provision while protecting digital sovereignty.
The meeting follows President Julius Maada Bio’s engagements at the UNGA, where he called for greater African ownership and governance of digital infrastructure, and urged international investors to look for opportunities across the continent. Within the framework of Sierra Leone’s overarching goal of positioning itself as a regional hub for digital infrastructure, investment and trade, the delegates framed the roundtable outcomes within the inaugural West Africa Integration and Investment Summit, scheduled for November.
At the roundtable, ministries, operators, and international partners converged to align policy, technical capacity, and investment planning to build a more connected, resilient, and investment-ready digital economy for Sierra Leone and the region.
