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Marking a significant milestone for youth empowerment in Sierra Leone, the Afrovate Tech Hub was officially launched in Freetown on Tuesday, January 10, 2025.
The Hub, the first of its kind in the country, is a youth-owned and youth-managed centre dedicated to green skills, innovation, entrepreneurship, and advocacy.
Speaking at the launch, the Honourable Minister of Youth Affairs, Hon. Ibrahim Sannoh, praised the young Afrovate team for their bold initiative, describing the Hub as a timely and relevant effort to address the country’s pressing youth challenges. With over 60% of Sierra Leone’s population under the age of 35, unemployment and limited opportunities have contributed to social disorder, drug abuse, and poverty, undermining national development efforts.
“The establishment of Afrovate highlights a bold youth-led action, which envisions a generation of empowered Sierra Leonean youths leading the country’s green, resilient, inclusive, and sustainable economic development,” Hon. Sannoh said.
The Afrovate Tech Hub aims to equip young people with practical green and digital skills, foster youth-led innovation, and create pathways for entrepreneurship. Alfred Mbayoh, the founder of Afrovate, said in his opening remarks, “Afrovate exists to bridge the gap between potential and possibility, between skills and impact, and between innovation and livelihoods without compromising environmental sustainability.”
During the event, Hon. Sannoh toured the facility, where he engaged in a discussion with Mr. Mbayoh in the Hub’s newly inaugurated studio, designed to amplify youth voices on critical issues. “I am impressed with what I have seen,” the Minister remarked. “Afrovate directly addresses three of our Ministry’s four strategic deliverables youth empowerment, technology and innovation, and climate change and we are committed to full partnership and collaboration.”
Ms. Haja Precious Vandi, Afrovate Communications Lead, moderated the discussion, which also marked the first broadcast from the Hub’s studio.
Closing the event, Mr. Mbayoh welcomed youths and potential partners to make use of the Hub, stating, “The Afrovate Tech Hub is a space to learn, to build, to fail safely, to innovate boldly, and to grow with purpose. We believe in transforming challenges into opportunities and ideas into impact.”
The launch of Afrovate Tech Hub represents a bold step toward equipping Sierra Leonean youths with the skills, knowledge, and opportunities to actively shape the country’s sustainable, digital, and inclusive future.
