Sierra Leone, UNESCO Discuss AI Governance and Legal Preparedness in Saudi Arabia

Sierra Leone’s Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Alpha Sesay, has held talks with UNESCO officials in Riyadh on the country’s emerging approach to artificial intelligence governance.

Sesay met UNESCO’s Assistant Director-General for Science and AI, Dr Abou Amani, on the margins of the fourth UNESCO Global Forum on the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence.

He outlined how AI could support President Bio’s Big Five Game Changers agenda, and said Sierra Leone has taken a policy position on AI but has not yet passed specific legislation.

Sesay briefed the delegation on the country’s cybersecurity framework and ongoing work on a Data Protection Bill, and argued that AI conversations must reach beyond legal and technical circles to ordinary citizens.

He expressed interest in UNESCO’s Readiness Assessment Methodology, a tool more than seventy-five countries have used to gauge their preparedness for ethical AI.

Amani welcomed the presentation and confirmed UNESCO’s Communication and Information Team will travel to Freetown this month to train members of the judiciary and legal community.