Sierra Leone’s Attorney-General and Minister of Justice Alpha Sesay paid a courtesy visit to the leadership and staff of the Sierra Leone Embassy in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Sierra Leone’s Ambassador to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed Barrie, on behalf of the Mission, commended the Attorney-General for making time to visit the Embassy despite his tight schedule in Riyadh, where he is participating in the 4th UNESCO Global Forum on the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence.

“One of his remarkable achievements as Attorney-General is the introduction of constitutional amendments enabling Sierra Leoneans with dual citizenship to contest as Members of Parliament without having to permanently renounce their foreign passports, thereby expanding political participation for the diaspora,” Ambassador Barrie said.

In his remarks, Minister Sesay said he was delighted to visit the Chancery on his first trip to the Kingdom and to interact with the staff of the Mission. He thanked Ambassador Barrie, Deputy Amb. Abdul Aziz Turay and the entire staff for the warm reception accorded to him and his State Counsel on arrival at the airport.

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The Attorney-General outlined some of the legal reforms contained in the Constitution of Sierra Leone (Amendment) Act 2025. He referred in particular to the amendment highlighted by Ambassador Barrie, noting that it allows dual citizens to stand for Parliament without permanently renouncing their foreign citizenship, thereby expanding political participation “for our people in the diaspora”.

He explained, however, that the provision is not intended for transient members of the diaspora. It requires dual citizens to have resided in Sierra Leone for at least 24 months and to have paid local taxes for a period of five years.

Furthermore, he also spoke about the introduction of the Proportional Representation system, which he described as the most debated provision in the Act and one that has generated considerable controversy in Sierra Leone. He noted that the matter has been referred to the Supreme Court for interpretation, adding that the system is intended to enhance regional cohesion and broaden the democratic space.

The Attorney-General further outlined other key provisions in the Amendment Act, including the presidential threshold, which lowers the first-round winning requirement from 55 per cent to 50 per cent plus one vote.

Concluding, Minister Sesay informed the meeting that he and his State Counsel, Alpha Amadu Bah, were in Riyadh on a four-day visit for the 4th UNESCO Global Forum on the Ethics of AI (GFEAI 2026). He said Sierra Leone’s position at the Forum was that the country had chosen not to rush into enacting an AI law.