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Sierra Leone’s Minister of Communication, Technology and Innovation, Salima Monorma Bah, has warned that West Africa is at risk of falling behind in the global race for artificial intelligence, urging stronger regional cooperation and investment in digital infrastructure.
She made the remarks during the 2026 West Africa Economic Integration and Investment Summit held in Freetown, where leaders gathered to discuss strategies for uniting the region’s economy through innovation and cross-border collaboration.
Speaking in her capacity as Chair on Digital Transformation opportunities and challenges to scale investment in the sector, Minister Bah emphasized that digital tools are critical to connecting key industries such as energy, agribusiness and telecommunications across West Africa. She noted that achieving deeper economic integration will depend on building resilient and shared digital systems.
A major focus of the summit was the concept of digital sovereignty, which seeks to ensure that countries maintain full legal and technical control over their data, technology and infrastructure. Minister Bah cautioned that without this control, the region could become increasingly dependent on external systems that do not reflect local realities.
She warned that many artificial intelligence systems currently used in critical sectors are developed without African data, meaning decisions that affect the region are often made without accurate local representation. “No country can afford to manage its digital future in silos,” she said, stressing the need for coordinated regional action.
The Minister also referenced recent internet disruptions linked to damaged subsea cables as evidence of the region’s vulnerability, underscoring the urgency of strengthening digital resilience.
To address these challenges, Minister Bah outlined a proposed “Data Embassy” framework, which would allow countries to share the cost of expensive data infrastructure while maintaining sovereignty over their information.
Under the model, a country could store its data on servers located in another nation, while retaining legal control, similar to how embassies operate under the laws of their home countries.
The summit concluded with renewed calls for collaboration among West African states to accelerate digital transformation, strengthen infrastructure and ensure the region remains competitive in the evolving global technology landscape.
