FREETOWN, Sierra Leone — President Julius Maada Bio has called for stronger international cooperation to support the safe, secure and responsible development and deployment of frontier artificial intelligence models.

Bio made the appeal on November 9 while addressing a high-level virtual meeting on frontier model security convened by French President Emmanuel Macron. The meeting brought together world leaders, senior government officials and representatives of technology companies.

The Sierra Leonean president said African countries and other developing nations should have a meaningful role in establishing international standards for AI governance. He also reaffirmed Sierra Leone’s position that the development and use of AI must remain under human direction, oversight and control.

“No country can adequately address these challenges on its own. Sovereignty does not mean doing everything alone. It means choosing the terms on which we work together,” Bio said.

Sierra Leone’s national AI plans

Bio disclosed that Sierra Leone has completed its National AI Readiness Assessment. The assessment is expected to guide the development of the country’s first National AI Strategy, although no implementation timetable was provided.

He said the Government is exploring ways to apply AI in agriculture, healthcare, education and public service delivery. At the same time, he stressed the need to build safeguards into the country’s approach to the technology.

“As we advance these efforts, we recognise the importance of building safety, security and accountability into our approach from the outset,” Bio said.

Sierra Leone is also working to strengthen digital infrastructure and regional cooperation through ECOWAS. Among the initiatives mentioned was the proposed Regional Data Embassy Framework, which seeks to widen access to shared infrastructure while protecting national jurisdiction and control over data.

Call for capacity and accountability

Bio urged greater investment in scientific expertise, institutional capacity and evaluation tools for developing countries. He said independent evaluation, transparency, effective oversight and coordinated responses would be important in managing increasingly capable AI systems.

The president also welcomed the proposed Paris Declaration, particularly its focus on common evaluation standards, clear accountability and international cooperation in reporting serious AI-related incidents. He called for its commitments to be converted into practical measures supported by credible evaluation mechanisms, timely information-sharing and stronger national and regional capabilities.

Sierra Leone endorsed the Call for Control of Frontier AI Models during an AI Middle Powers Roundtable held at the United Nations General Assembly in September. The roundtable was co-hosted by Kenya and Finland and initiated by Finland and Norway.

Bio said Sierra Leone was ready to work with international partners on AI safety, security and responsible development. The virtual meeting included Emmanuel Macron, United Kingdom Prime Minister Andy Burnham, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and other government and technology leaders.