By Hassan I. Conteh

Sierra Leone’s popular telecoms company, Africell, has certified some students who offer web design and other digital related courses.

The certification ceremony took place at one of Africell’s snazzy and complex building on Friday 19, January 2024

Hassan Kargbo, Mohamed Asimu Kamara, Makalay Kamara, Elijah Bai Koroma and eight others graduated after a special digital skills training sponsored by Africell.

The students had been receiving their lectures at one of Africell’s E-Learning centre at Wilkinson Road in Freetown.

“We celebrate the skills they have acquired, the three month web design program was not about creating visual appealing websites; it is about digital marketing,” says Kamanda Koroma, Head of Digital & Marketing.

“Today is a celebration and collaboration; we want to thank the tutors and everyone who had played a great part to seeing this happening”.

Out of 500 applicants for Africell’s digital marketing class, 200 shortlisted; 100 interviewed, but only 20 were selected.

16 showed up for classes and 12 eventually graduated.

The telecoms firm has been in existence in Sierra Leone for decades and is well-known for helping young Sierra Leoneans in various aspect of life.

There have been many young men and women, boys and girls whose lives have been transformed greatly by the mobile giant company.

“Africell’s Impact Foundation (AFI) is a way of optimizing our social network, we have trained 30 artistes (musicians), and have involved 600 of our employees whilst we’ve also undertaken 120 plus project,” says Kippy Debs, Customer Relations Director, at Africell.

She adds that AFI operates in eight countries and over 1,000 students have been empowered by Africell through its Impact Foundation.

Madam Debs says they have been helping to promote education, arts, culture and heritage in line with government’s vision.

Africell’s lastest athletic, Marathon race, she said, is among the long-list of their sound initiatives which meant to impact the lives of many Sierra Leoneans.

Speaking of the Marathon event, she says, “This is something we hope will continue on annual basis.”

“We conducted Excell and Microsoft training for employees; we have a gym at Lumley beach; there is also volley ball and hiking that had been organized by us under Africell Impact Foundation.”

Chief Corporate Officer, Joe Abass Bangura, at Africell, said he was “super-excited” to have held a meeting with the Minister of Basic and Senior Secondary Education.

He said the education wing is bringing into practice what is referred to as, “Every day skills”.

And that, he said, government intends to structure new “digital tech” subjects for students at high schools.

“Today is a digital era; the marketplace is no longer a fixed building.”

“If you are doing music in Sierra Leone, it means you are competing with the entire world,” Africell’s Chief Corporate Officer, Joe Abass Bangura.

Mr. Bangura said graduating students by Africell would be helped further on any coming up ‘business innovative ‘by them.

One of the graduates, Elijah Kargbo, who is also an accounting student at IPAM, said he was grateful of having such scholarship opportunity that enabled him to freely do a course in Web Design.

“We thank Africell for such opportunity.”