Information Minister Showcases Sierra Leone’s Landmark Media Reforms at Paris Conference

Sierra Leone’s Minister of Information and Civic Education, Hon. Chernor Bah, represented His Excellency President Julius Maada Bio at the International Conference on Information Integrity and Independent Media held in Paris, France.

The high-level forum brought together heads of state, ministers, and global partners to strengthen media freedom, combat disinformation, and promote responsible journalism.

At the event, co-convened by President Emmanuel Macron of France and President John Dramani Mahama of Ghana, Minister Bah highlighted Sierra Leone’s recent strides in advancing media freedom and open governance.

He emphasized landmark reforms under President Bio’s leadership, including the decriminalization of criminal libel, the adoption of a progressive National Information Policy, the imminent Data Protection Law, and the creation of a National Fund for Public Interest Media an innovative model for supporting independent journalism through public-private-development partnerships.

“These reforms reflect President Bio’s conviction that democracy thrives when citizens are well-informed and the media operates freely and responsibly,” Minister Bah told the Paris forum.

He also reaffirmed Sierra Leone’s leadership as the current Chair of ECOWAS, championing freedom of information and independent media across the West African region. Minister Bah called for deeper global partnerships to ensure that free, factual, and reliable information remains a universal public good and the foundation of democratic governance.

The conference featured discussions among world leaders, including Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan of Armenia, Prime Minister Edi Rama of Albania, and President Maia Sandu of Moldova, all emphasizing the urgent need to protect information integrity in the digital age.