Sierra Leone’s Minister of Communication, Technology, and Innovation advocates for ethical AI

Sierra Leone’s Minister of Communication, Technology, and Innovation, Salima Monorma Bah has delivered a compelling keynote address at MIT’s 2025 A+ Education Conference, stressing the urgent need for ethical, inclusive, and locally adaptable artificial intelligence (AI) frameworks. Her speech highlighted the risks of biased AI systems and called for global collaboration to ensure technology serves all communities fairly. 

Minister Bah warned that AI models trained on narrow or unrepresentative data risk distorting realities or erasing marginalized populations altogether. She noted the importance of developing AI systems that are open-source, multilingual, and designed with inclusivity at their core. “Who decides what responsible AI in education looks like?” she challenged the audience. “Whose values shape the algorithms? Who owns the data, and who is held accountable when things go wrong?” 

Sierra Leone’s Minister of Communication, Technology, and Innovation, Salima Monorma Bah

Her remarks underscored the necessity of embedding responsibility into AI development from the outset through data collection, tool design, and policy formulation. “Responsibility should not be an afterthought,” she asserted. “Our history has shown us what happens when we are left out of systems of power and knowledge. We cannot let that pattern continue in the digital age.” 

Beyond raising critical questions, the minister showcased Sierra Leone’s proactive efforts in fostering responsible AI innovation. The country has launched initiatives like a national AI competition to nurture local talent and upcoming training programs led by her ministry. These efforts aim to empower young Sierra Leoneans to engage with AI not just as consumers but as creators, policymakers, and ethical leaders. 

By:  Nana Appiah Acquaye