Sierra Leone’s Chief Minister Calls for Digitization in Canada
Toronto, Canada September 19, 2025 Sierra Leone’s Chief Minister delivered an inspiring keynote address at the opening of the Sierra Leone Canada Trade, Investment and Cultural Show 2025, urging international partners to embrace digitization, innovation, and radical inclusion as the drivers of Sierra Leone’s transformation.
The three-day forum, hosted in Toronto, brought together Canadian investors, policymakers, academics, Sierra Leoneans in the diaspora, and global development partners. It served as a high-level platform for deepening bilateral ties, exploring trade and investment opportunities, and positioning Sierra Leone as a reform-driven nation ready for global partnerships.
A Vision Anchored in Digitization and Inclusion
Welcoming dignitaries and participants, the Chief Minister expressed gratitude for the strong turnout, describing it as a testament to the enduring interest in Sierra Leone’s progress. He framed the forum as directly aligned with President Julius Maada Bio’s “Big Five Game Changers” human capital development, agriculture, infrastructure, technology, and energy which form the backbone of the country’s long-term development agenda.
At the heart of his remarks was a passionate call for digitization as a tool of national transformation. He emphasized that technology in Sierra Leone is no longer peripheral, but central to progress in healthcare, education, governance, and justice.
“Innovation is not just about gadgets or software it is about service delivery that improves lives. It is about building systems that ensure no child, no woman, and no community is left behind,” he said.
Expanding Digital Access to the Margins
Drawing from his recent field trip to Koindu, a remote town in eastern Sierra Leone, the Chief Minister stressed the need for inclusive digital systems that empower even the most marginalized communities. He cited progress in mobile connectivity, with more than 90% of cellular sites now equipped with 3G coverage, while 4G and even pilot 5G networks are expanding nationwide.
“This is not a luxury. It is essential. That young girl in Koindu deserves the same access to technology and opportunity as anyone in Freetown or Toronto,” he declared.
He linked this vision to new partnerships, including a Memorandum of Understanding signed with a Canadian university, which will facilitate joint educational and research initiatives.
Innovation in Healthcare, Education, and Justice
The Chief Minister highlighted how digitization is already saving lives in Sierra Leone. Maternal mortality, he noted, has dropped by 79% in the past decade the steepest decline globally during that period thanks to digital systems that register, monitor, and support pregnant women in partnership with nurses and healthcare workers.
He also reflected on his tenure as Sierra Leone’s first Chief Innovation Officer, where his team pioneered the “468” SMS platform, allowing parents to access exam results instantly from anywhere in the world. What began as a simple idea has since become a national tool for transparency and accessibility in education.
On governance and justice reforms, he outlined the groundbreaking Criminal Procedure Act 2024, which for the first time provides non-custodial sentencing options such as community service and suspended sentences. “Until just days ago, if you were poor in Sierra Leone, you could be imprisoned simply because you could not pay a fine. Now, we finally have alternatives to incarceration,” he said.
He also hailed President Bio’s repeal of the criminal libel law, which once stifled freedom of expression, and emphasized ongoing progress in implementing long-delayed recommendations from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC). “Since President Bio came to office, we have reactivated the process and delivered on long-standing promises. The world is now looking to Sierra Leone for lessons not only in peacebuilding, but in justice,” he added.
Building Global Partnerships for Growth
The Chief Minister placed the Toronto summit within a wider strategy of international outreach, noting that Sierra Leone has hosted similar investment forums in Japan, the United States, and Morocco, with another scheduled in London later this year.
He stressed that Sierra Leone’s future lies in innovation-driven, inclusive growth but this cannot be achieved in isolation. “This summit is more than a showcase it is a platform for action,” he concluded. “Let us work together so that innovation and investment reach the farthest corners of Sierra Leone. Only then can we deliver on our promise of transformation.”
A Platform for Transformation
The Sierra Leone Canada Trade, Investment and Cultural Show 2025 stands as a symbol of Sierra Leone’s renewed international engagement. Beyond trade and cultural exchange, this year’s edition spotlighted digitization as a powerful equalizer, aligning with President Bio’s national development priorities and Sierra Leone’s broader vision of inclusive, technology-driven transformation.
