When the Ministry of Communication, Technology and Innovation launched Cohort 2 of the Learn2Earn Programme, in partnership with UNICEF Sierra Leone and the International Trade Centre through the KOICA READY Salone Project, the aim was to give young Sierra Leoneans practical digital and freelancing skills they could put to work immediately. James Emmanuel Paul Yambasu, a Year 2 BSc Mathematics and Statistics student at Fourah Bay College, University of Sierra Leone, is one of the clearest examples of that aim being met. A week after completing the training, a LinkedIn post about his work led to a referral, and he now works as a personal assistant supporting climate-informed disease surveillance projects across West and Central Africa.
We sat down with James to hear the full story, from how he found out about the programme to how it changed his career path.
Q: Tell us about your academic background. What are you studying, and how does it connect to the work you do?
James: I am currently in my second year of a BSc in mathematics and statistics at Fourah Bay College. My coursework covers things like inference theory, time series and index numbers, quantitative analysis, financial mathematics, and mathematical logic. That formal quantitative training feeds directly into my research and data work, things like survey design, statistical analysis, and data cleaning.
Q: How did you first hear about Learn2Earn?
James: Through a mentor of mine, Henry Kumbalay. He is a senior from high school and from my department at Fourah Bay College, and he now works at the Bank of Sierra Leone. His guidance is what made me aware of the programme, and I made the decision to prepare for it seriously.
Q: What did the application process actually involve?
James: It was not a simple form. I had to create an account on the MBSSE-DSTI Sierra Leone Learning Passport, complete the required courses, and upload my completion certificate. I finished Module 6, Mastering Freelancing, built out a proper Upwork profile, and recorded a one-minute video explaining why I was ready. I submitted everything before the deadline on 22 May 2026.
Q: What was training like once you were selected?
James: Training for Cohort 2 started on 9 June 2026 at Empower Africa, at the Freetown City Council Building on Wallace Johnson Street. It brought together participants from across different backgrounds, and the sessions pushed us to build things we could actually use afterwards: our LinkedIn profiles, our Upwork profiles, and a portfolio website, not just certificates to keep in a drawer.
Q: What core skills did you bring in, or sharpen, through the process?
James: Survey design, KoboCollect, field data collection, data entry and cleaning, data analysis, market research and validation, statistical analysis, literature review, and research summarisation. Most of that comes from my degree, but the programme helped me package it properly and present it to employers.
Q: How did that lead to your current job?
James: Once I had my LinkedIn and Upwork profiles and my portfolio website in place, I posted about my work on LinkedIn. That post is what got noticed. An employer came across it and referred me almost immediately after the cohort ended.
Q: What are you doing now?
James: I’m working as a personal assistant, supporting climate-informed disease surveillance projects across West and Central Africa. My work includes drafting meeting reports, managing inbox briefings, tracking action items, and coordinating stakeholder communications.
Q: Looking back, what would you tell someone applying to the next Learn2Earn cohort? James: Take the personal branding side seriously; it is not a side exercise. Build your LinkedIn, your Upwork, and your portfolio, and actually post your work. That’s the exact chain of events that got me referred.
Q: For anyone reading this who might want to reach out to you, where can they find you? James: I would welcome that. I am on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-yambasu-117b05322
Upwork profile: https://www.upwork.com/freelancers/~011d520beafa3fe3fb
Portfolio Website: https://james-yambasu-portfolio-1.vercel.app/ Feel free to reach out.
James’s journey, from a mentor’s guidance through a rigorous application process to a job secured through his own online visibility, shows what Learn2Earn Cohort 2 was built to do, turn a structured training programme into real, measurable employment outcomes for Sierra Leone’s young people.
