An invention is patentable if it is new, involves an inventive step and is industrially applicable.

An invention is new if it is not anticipated by prior art.

In the evaluation of novelty, an application for the grant of a patent in Sierra Leone shall be considered to have been comprised in prior art as from the filing date of the application, or if priority is claimed, as from the date of its validity claimed priority, to the extent to which its content is available or is later made available to the public.