Min. Ibrahim Sannoh, Sierra Leone’s Minister of Youth Affairs, has emerged as a leading voice at the International Skills and Workforce Alliance 2025 (#ISWA2025), where he moderated a high-level session on “Linking Industrial Skills Transformation with the Demographic Dividend and Inclusive Development.”
In his remarks, Min. Sannoh underscored the urgent need for Africa to embrace responsible Artificial Intelligence (AI) guidelines as a cornerstone for its digital and industrial future. He stressed that without strong guidelines, AI risks widening inequality, but with them, the technology can serve as a tool for inclusion, ethics, and opportunity.
“Without guidelines, AI risks empowering only the empowered. With them, we can make AI a tool for inclusion, ethics, and opportunity,” Min. Sannoh emphasized.
The Minister also highlighted the importance of bridging the gap between academia and industry, ensuring that curricula, apprenticeships, and research directly equip young Africans with future-ready skills. He called for robust collaboration across African nations in research and development (R&D), urging knowledge-sharing that empowers youth to innovate using data and realities rooted in the continent.
From the floor of the summit, his message resonated powerfully: “Nothing for us, without us in Africa. What do we want to be remembered for? Africa should achieve self-sufficiency because, together we can!”
He reminded participants that Africa’s greatest asset is not only its demographic dividend but also the mindset of its youth.
“We need to work on the mind transformation. You have to be the change, you have to first change. And believe in the Africa We Want.”
For Sierra Leone, his advocacy carries significant weight. His leadership at #ISWA2025 places the country at the center of continental conversations on skills development, innovation, and responsible technology. By pushing for education reforms that align with industrial needs, he is creating pathways for Sierra Leonean youth to access better jobs, embrace entrepreneurship, and become drivers of innovation in sectors like agriculture, digital finance, energy, and manufacturing.
His interventions captured a vision of a youthful continent, rich in resources and boldly shaping its own destiny by 2063, an Africa thriving through unity, innovation, and the unstoppable energy of its young people.
