Minister Chernor Bah Joins French President Macron, Showcases Sierra Leone Media Freedom Reforms in Paris

Sierra Leone’s Minister of Information and Civic Education, Chernor Bah, outlined the country’s pioneering media freedom reforms on a global stage, sharing a high-level panel with French President Emmanuel Macron and other world leaders.

The International Conference on Information Integrity and Independent Media, co-convened by Presidents Macron and John Dramani Mahama of Ghana, gathered heads of state and ministers in Paris to address the escalating threats of disinformation and to bolster independent journalism worldwide.

Representing President Julius Maada Bio, Minister Bah detailed Sierra Leone’s landmark progress under what he termed the President’s “information freedom agenda.”

“These reforms reflect President Bio’s conviction that democracy and trust can only flourish where citizens are well-informed and the media operates freely and responsibly,” Bah stated.

He highlighted specific achievements, including the decriminalization of criminal libel, the adoption of a progressive National Information Policy, and an imminent Data Protection law.

A key initiative emphasized was the establishment of a National Fund for Public Interest Media. Minister Bah described this as a pioneering public-private partnership model designed to provide sustainable financial support for independent journalism.

The forum served as a platform for world leaders to reaffirm a shared commitment to defending information integrity in an era of digital disruption. In his remarks, Minister Bah also reinforced Sierra Leone’s leadership in this area as the current Chair of ECOWAS, championing a regional culture of freedom of information.

He called for strengthened global partnerships to ensure that access to reliable, factual information remains a universal public good and the bedrock of democratic societies. Minister Bah was accompanied to the conference by Sierra Leone’s Ambassador to France, Mohamed Kanja Sesay.