Sierra Leone
The Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of Sierra Leone, Timothy Musa Kabba, deposited the instrument of ratification for the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) with the UN Secretary-General at a high-level ceremony in New York on 24 September 2024, following the approval of the Parliament of Sierra Leone.1
TPNW Status
| Key weapons of mass destruction treaties | ||
|---|---|---|
| NUCLEAR WEAPONS | ||
| Party to the TPNW | Yes (Ratified 2024) | |
| Party to the NPT | Yes (Acceded 1975) | |
| Ratified the CTBT | Yes (Ratified 2001) | |
| Party to an NWFZ | No (Signed 1996, Pelindaba) | |
| CSA with the IAEA | Yes (In force 2009) | |
| AP with the IAEA | No (Signed 2022) | |
| BIOLOGICAL AND CHEMICAL WEAPONS | ||
| Party to the BWC | Yes (Ratified 1976) | |
| Party to the CWC | Yes (Ratified 2004) | |
| TPNW Art. 1(1) prohibitions: Compliance in 2025 | ||
|---|---|---|
| (a) | Develop, produce, manufacture, acquire | Compliant |
| Possess or stockpile | Compliant | |
| Test | Compliant | |
| (b) | Transfer | Compliant |
| (c) | Receive transfer or control | Compliant |
| (d) | Use | Compliant |
| Threaten to use | Compliant | |
| (e) | Assist, encourage or induce | Compliant |
| (f) | Seek or receive assistance | Compliant |
| (g) | Allow stationing, installation, deployment | Compliant |
| TPNW voting and participation | |
|---|---|
| UNGA resolution on TPNW (latest vote) | Voted yes (2025) |
| Participated in 3MSP (2025) | Yes |
| Participated in 2MSP (2023) | Yes (observer) |
| Participated in 1MSP (2022) | No |
| Average MSP delegation size (% women) | 1.5 (0%) |
| Adoption of TPNW (7 July 2017) | Voted yes |
| Participated in TPNW negotiations (2017) | Yes |
| Negotiation mandate (A/RES/71/258) | Voted yes |
| Fissile material | |
|---|---|
| Nuclear facilities | No |
| Fissile material production | No |
| HEU stocks | No |
| Plutonium stocks | No |
| SQP with the IAEA | Yes (Revised) |
Latest developments
At the Third Meeting of States Parties (3MSP) to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) in March 2025, Sierra Leone said that it is time ‘to take a new and comprehensive approach to nuclear disarmament’. ‘We believe that the TPNW serves as a complementary instrument to the NPT [Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons] and will end the long impasse in multilateral nuclear disarmament negotiations,’ it said.2
In accordance with Article 2 of the TPNW, Sierra Leone submitted a declaration to the UN Secretary-General on 22 January 2025 confirming that it does not own, possess, or control nuclear weapons, has never done so, and does not host any other State’s nuclear weapons on its territory.3
In the First Committee of the UN General Assembly in October 2025, Sierra Leone said that it was proud to have ratified the TPNW alongside Indonesia and the Solomon Islands on 24 September 2024 and expressed its hope that the Treaty would provide ‘renewed impetus’ to nuclear disarmament negotiations.4
Sierra Leone co-sponsored the 2025 UN General Assembly resolution on the TPNW, which welcomed the Treaty’s entry into force and called upon ‘all States that have not yet done so to sign, ratify, accept, approve, or accede to the Treaty at the earliest possible date’.5
In January 2024, Sierra Leone upgraded to a Modified Small Quantities Protocol (SQP) with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
Recommendations
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Sierra Leone should continue to encourage other states to adhere to the TPNW.
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Sierra Leone should ensure that all the TPNW obligations are implemented domestically, through legal, administrative, and other necessary measures.
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Sierra Leone should bring into force its Additional Protocol (AP) with the IAEA.
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Sierra Leone should ratify the Pelindaba nuclear-weapon-free zone (NWFZ) Treaty, which it signed in 1996.