Background of the Ministry

In April 2008, the Ministry of Information and Communications was established (MIC) by merging the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and the Communications section from the Ministry of Transport and Communications. The Ministry of Information and Communications is responsible for the Information Technology, Telecommunications, Broadcasting, media and postal sectors in Sierra Leone.

The Ministry of Information and Communications leads policy formulation and provides the regulatory framework for productivity in the Information, Communication and Technology (ICT) sector including telecommunications, media and film industries. It informs the Public about economic and social activities while promoting democratic culture through enhanced press freedom and the right to information of the people. In addition to its policy and regulatory roles, the Ministry also oversees government’s ownership interest in ICT related institutions and programs by fitting them into the sector’s requirements in the context of the economic and social development plans of the state. 

Sector institutions under the remit of the Ministry are categorized into postal services, telecommunications, broadcasting, press, information, and film development. The Ministry envisions within the context of the New Direction programs of the Government that by 2028, Sierra Leone will become a digitally inclusive society with ICT as the means to unleash the innate potentials of every citizen to leapfrog the Country’s socio-economic development. This vision is also consistent with the ‘Leave No One Behind’ dream of the United Nations espoused in the Sustainable Development Goals and the ‘Africa we are want’ principle of the African Union adopted in its 2063 Vision. To achieve the above strategic vision, the sector requires critical interventions to enhance its critical role as the enabler to economic growth and social progress.