The Kelvin Doe Foundation hosted a student robotics tournament at Prince of Wales School in Freetown, where students worked in teams to program robot cars and test their creations in a fast-paced competition that rewarded problem-solving, collaboration, and creativity.
The choice of venue was intentional. Prince of Wales School is Kelvin Doe’s alma mater. Long before global recognition, Kelvin was a teenager in Freetown teaching himself engineering by salvaging discarded electronics. Using scrap materials, he built batteries, generators, and a small FM radio station to serve his community. That ingenuity led him from local innovation competitions to becoming the youngest ever participant in MIT’s Visiting Practitioner Program, and later to founding an organization focused on expanding practical STEAM education in Sierra Leone. Returning to POW to host a robotics tournament closed a powerful circle: from self-taught tinkerer to mentor of the next generation.
The competition was attended by the Minister of Communication, Technology and Innovation, Madam Salima Monorma Bah, for whom engaging young people in technology and innovation remains a priority. The Minister interacted directly with students and even scored a goal during the match.
As part of the prizes, the Minister donated five laptops on behalf of the Ministry of Communication, Technology and Innovation to support the winning teams’ continued learning. The Kelvin Doe Foundation is commended for bringing students together around making, building, and experimentation, and for reminding the country that the next generation of engineers, innovators, and entrepreneurs will emerge not from theory alone, but from access, mentorship, and the confidence to try.
