Few weeks ago, the Chief Minister David Moinina Sengeh – PhD asked a simple challenge online:
“Choose a sector, identify a problem, and tell me how you’d spend $10 million to solve it.”
Prize: $500
Criteria: Impact. Engagement. Clarity.
In less than 24 hours, Abdulai Lass Kamara, a graphic designer who hails from Waterloo, shared an idea that stood out. He proposed using $10M to build Solar-Powered Smart Learning Hubs in rural areas, each with laptops, free internet, offline content, and local mentors.
His message was clear, “Education is the root of all development. A digitally empowered generation will break the cycle of poverty.”
That comment didn’t win, but it caught everyone’s attention.
The Ministry of Communication, Technology and Innovation has since received World Bank approval through the Sierra Leone Digital Transformation Project
to roll out 16 EduCubes, solar-powered digital learning hubs bringing technology and education to underserved communities.
And today, Abdulai starts his first day as an intern at the Ministry of Communication, Technology and Innovation, working with the team on the 8th Floor, Youyi Building, to make it happen.
