A free 90-minute webinar titled “Education & Digitalization: The Engine of Personal Growth and National Transformation” will examine how education, energy and artificial intelligence can create opportunities for Sierra Leone’s youth, using the composite story of Aminata, a 17-year-old in Falaba District who does homework by the light of a phone charged at a shop down the road.
Hosted by SierrAfrica Diaspora Connect (SADC) on Thursday, October 15 at 3:00 p.m. EDT (8:00 p.m. BST; 7:00 p.m. GMT), the session will be moderated by Golda Fania Kamara, who implemented Sierra Leone’s first National Health Information Hub. Four panelists will participate: accountant and nonprofit leader Bamikole Roberts; international education specialist Sajdah Ali; cybersecurity professional and entrepreneur James Kamara; and clean-energy entrepreneur Mariama Kamara, co-founder of the African-language AI venture SanKam.
Topics range from teaching students with intermittent power to the risks of rogue AI agents for a country just beginning to adopt AI. The discussion matters because it addresses practical barriers that keep young people like Aminata from accessing digital earning opportunities, and it frames technology as a tool that requires local skills, institutions and trust to deliver results.
Golda Kamara said, “Technology does not transform societies. People do. Skills, institutions, trust and opportunity do. The goal isn’t to build for Sierra Leone. It’s to build with Sierra Leoneans.”
Those interested can Register by completing the SADC interest form and finishing registration on Zoom. Both steps are required.
The session is the second in SADC’s Global Webinar Series, following September 24’s “Culture as a Connector.” Upcoming webinars include Agriculture, Health & Foodways on November 5; Homecoming with Purpose on November 19; and Investing in Sierra Leone on December 10.
The series builds toward SADC’s 10-Day Heritage & Legacy Tour, scheduled for March 7–16, 2027, including Bunce and Tasso Islands, Bo District, Mozza Beach, and a historical immersion in the inaugural Freedom Day commemoration. The tour is limited to 30 travelers at $2,500 per person (double occupancy), including a legacy gift to support the 5,500 people who live on historic Tasso Island.
This year, SADC partnered with LifeStraw to provide water purifiers in the five schools located on Tasso Island.
SADC describes itself as a multicultural coalition that strengthens ties between Sierra Leone and the global African diaspora through heritage, community development, cultural exchange, tourism, and investment.
