Parliament Receives Data Protection and National Archives Bills
Sia Lucy Kannah The Minister of Information and Civic Education, Chernor Bah, has tabled two major legislative Bills before Parliament, seeking to strengthen data protection, citizens’ privacy and the management of public records in Sierra Leone.
The two proposed legislations are the Data Protection and Right to Access Information Bill, 2026, and the National Records and Archives Bill, 2026. Both Bills have completed their Introduction and First Reading stages in accordance with parliamentary standing orders and standard legislative procedures.
The Data Protection and Right to Access Information Bill, 2026, seeks to strengthen Sierra Leone’s digital governance framework by providing greater protection for personal data and citizens’ privacy while promoting transparency in government operations.
The proposed legislation also aims to address regulatory overlap by bringing related functions together, creating a more coordinated framework for data protection and access to information. It is expected to support a secure environment for digital transactions, public administration and consumer protection.
The second legislation, the National Records and Archives Bill, 2026, seeks to modernise Sierra Leone’s national archiving framework and improve the management of public records.
The Bill proposes to replace outdated statutory frameworks and introduce improvements in how government documents, historical archives and public records are preserved, managed and catalogued to meet the demands of the digital age.
Effective records management is considered essential for preserving institutional memory, ensuring legal compliance and strengthening public accountability.
Following their successful Introduction and First Reading, both Bills are expected to proceed to the Second Reading, where lawmakers will debate their underlying principles and provisions.
If approved at that stage, the Bills will undergo detailed, clause-by-clause scrutiny during the Committee Stage before returning to Parliament for the Third Reading and final passage.