By: Madina Kula Sheriff
Abibu Sheriff, a 42-year-old British-born entrepreneur of Sierra Leonean and Jamaican heritage, has developed two AI-driven community solutions aimed at improving crisis response and protecting young people globally. The platforms, Open Relief Jamaica/Sierra Leone and Youth Guard AI are designed to support vulnerable communities and enhance rapid intervention during emergencies.
Sheriff, who works in AI development, says his motivation for the field emerged at an early age from a belief that technology should be used to serve people, particularly those in vulnerable and underserved communities.
“AI is the future of technology, and when used correctly, it can significantly improve people’s lives not just in developed countries but also in places like Sierra Leone, Jamaica, and other parts of the world,” he explains.
Open Relief Jamaica/Sierra Leone
Open Relief Jamaica/Sierra Leone, an AI-powered crisis reporting and response platform is designed to bridge the gap between people in distress and organisations that can provide assistance. According to Sheriff, the platform allows individuals affected by emergencies such as floods, fires, mudslides, and earthquakes to report incidents directly through the website. He says the AI system then matches these requests with relevant NGOs, government agencies, charities, and community groups.
“In many developing countries, there is no reliable emergency reporting system,” says Sheriff. “This tool allows people to ask for help directly, and the AI ensures the right assistance reaches them quickly and efficiently.”
He notes that unlike traditional disaster response models, which operate from the top down, the Open Relief platform works from the ground up, allowing communities to initiate requests and coordinate responses in real time.
The Potential Impact in Sierra Leone
The Sierra Leone Floods 2024 DREF operational report indicates that by September 23, 2024, the National Disaster Management Agency had identified 27 flood events across multiple districts, affecting 3,330 households and 23,596 people.
Sheriff believes the platform could be particularly valuable in Sierra Leone, which has faced recurring disasters such as floods and the deadly 2017 Sugar Loaf Mountain landslide. According to the World Bank Disaster Risk Management Diagnostic Report, the 2017 landslide and floods affected more than 6,000 people and claimed about 1,141 lives.
Sheriff says such occurrences exposed gaps in existing emergency response systems.
“In situations like that, people often don’t know who to contact or where to turn. However, with a platform like Open Relief, individuals can request help online, and the system identifies who is best placed to respond,” he says.
According to the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC), Sierra Leone recorded more than 28,000 disaster-related displacements between 2008 and 2024.
Sheriff believes the platform could significantly improve coordination during emergencies, reduce response delays, prevent the wastage of resources, and potentially save lives.
Youth Guard AI
Sheriff’s second innovation, Youth Guard AI, focuses on youth safety and crime prevention. The platform allows young people aged 12 to 19 to anonymously report crimes or harmful experiences.
According to him, the aim of Youth Guard AI is to prevent knife crime, bullying, harassment, and sexual assault both online and offline. He states that, like the Open Relief platform, it is accessible to anyone with a smartphone, making it easy to report incidents.
In countries like Sierra Leone, gender-based violence remains a pressing concern. According to UNFPA, an estimated 62% of women aged 15 to 19 reports having experienced physical or sexual violence.
Sheriff notes that Youth Guard AI includes a feature for women and girls to report issues of sexual and gender-based violence.
“Once a report is done, the platform analyses it via vetted institutions such as schools, NGOs, and community organisations to identify patterns and intervene early. When schools, organisations, and institutions can see where problems are developing, they can act before the situation escalates,” he says.
Accessibility, Privacy, and Security
Sheriff says both platforms are designed with inclusivity in mind, particularly for persons with disabilities. A key feature allows users to speak directly into the website, eliminating the need for typing.
“This is crucial for people with learning difficulties, the visually impaired, dyslexia, or limited literacy,” he explains.
He adds that the AI is capable of understanding speech irregularities, such as slurred speech, and interpreting user intent accurately.
One of the major challenges of using AI tools is ensuring data protection and user anonymity. There have been instances where lapses in AI platforms have exposed personal information. For example, researchers in the US uncovered more than 130,000 conversations with popular AI chatbots including Claude, ChatGPT, Grok, and others freely accessible on the Internet Archive. Such incidents highlight how vulnerable AI systems can be if proper safeguards are not in place.
But for Sheriff’s tools, reports are submitted without personal identifiers, and users receive a reference code to track their case. Organisations accessing the system must be vetted and approved before viewing reports, ensuring that sensitive information remains secure and user privacy is protected.
Current Status and Future Plans
Open Relief Jamaica and Youth Guard AI are currently live at the minimum viable product (MVP) stage and undergoing testing to address technical issues and refine the user experience. Sheriff says both platforms are expected to be fully operational between January and February 2026, with plans to expand to other countries, including Sierra Leone, by mid-2026.
Sheriff’s innovations join a growing global trend of AI-driven tools. Similar platforms include Google AI Flood Forecasting, which is used in flood-prone countries to predict floods and enable timely evacuations.
Sheriff believes that with proper adoption, AI-driven tools like Open Relief Jamaica and Youth Guard AI could help reduce youth crime, improve mental health outcomes, and strengthen emergency response systems in low-income countries.
“AI gives the opportunity to respond faster and more effectively,” says Sheriff. “If we work together, we can use technology to build safer and more resilient communities.”