The Minister of Basic and Senior Secondary Education; Dr. David Moinina Sengeh, Sierra Leonean self-taught engineer and innovator; Kelvin Doe, Chief Adviser of Fourah Bay College Engineering Society; Abdulai Yirah Marah and three other Sierra Leoneans have been nominated for the 2022 African Genius Award.

The African Genius Award is an annual event by Priority Performance Projects, South Africa. Its main aim is to recognise exceptional Africans that are contributing immensely towards the realisation of African determination, dignity and exceptionalism.

As hardworking Sierra Leoneans that have contributed immensely to the society, got the attention of Priority Performance Projects in South Africa.

He are the six Sierra Leoneans and their short biographies: Dr. David Moinina Sengeh, Abdul Yirah Marrah, Kelvin Doe, Ishmael Alfred Charles, Emmanuel Alie Mansaray, and Jeremiah Thoronka.

David Moinina Sengeh is the Minister of Basic and Senior Secondary Education and Chief Innovation Officer for the Directorate of Science, Technology and Innovation in Sierra Leone. He is a TED Senior Fellow. He studied biomedical engineering at Harvard University and researched aerosolised vaccines for tuberculosis and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in 2010. During his time at Harvard University, he was cofounder of Lebone Solutions, a start-up that developed inexpensive batteries from microbial fuel cells. He was listed in the 2013 Wired Magazine Smart List. Sengeh joined Massachusetts Institute of Technology for his postgraduate studies.

Abdulai Yirah Marah is a Sierra Leonean civil engineer and a young technocrat. He’s the chief adviser of Fourah Bay College Engineering Society, a former engineer at Archdesignsl, and former volunteer at EducAid Sierra Leone. In 2019, he won the National Grand Prize of the Chinese Ambassador’s Scholarship. Mr Abdulai Yirah Marah is a great young leader that has impacted many lives in many communities in Sierra Leone. In 2014, the young engineer volunteered in EducAid Sierra Leone; a charity organisation that helps improve the lives of Sierra Leoneans through education where he taught Biology and other subjects.

Kelvin Doe is a Sierra Leonean engineer. He is known for teaching himself engineering at the age of 12 and building his own radio station in Sierra Leone, where he plays music and broadcasts news under the name “DJ Focus.” He was one of the finalists in GMin’s Innovate Salone idea competition, in which Doe built a generator from scrap metals. Doe would constantly use discarded pieces of scrap electronics to build transmitters, generators, and batteries.

Ishmeal Alfred Charles is a survivor of Sierra Leone’s brutal civil war. Kidnapped during the war by the rebels at 14-years old. Charles witnessed terrible horrors but this did not defeat him and from this experience he “always wanted to be someone who will help his community rather than destroy it”.

Emmanuel Alie Mansaray is a student of Fourah Bay College and a senior member of Pen Foundation Sierra Leone. He is a self-taught engineer, inventor, geologist, thinker and motivational speaker. The young inventor became a social media sensation in the West African country of Sierra Leone. This is after his invention of a solar-powered engine car was spotted on the streets of Freetown. His innovative solar car hit the headlines not only in his home country, but also internationally. His solar car project was featured on popular blogger’s platform, Nas Daily who flew to Freetown and took footage of the car.

Jeremiah is an experienced renewable energy entrepreneur and scholar, determined to make a significant contribution to renewable energy development and help create a secure energy future in Africa. He has used his skills to develop Optim Energy, an innovative piezoelectric device that harnesses energy from heat, vibrations and weather (all of which naturally occur in the environment) to create affordable and clean power in local communities. As an author, Jeremiah has published articles on climate change, global warming, policy development, youth involvement, entrepreneurship, and renewable financing. He has presented research papers and organised workshops at some of the world’s largest youth gatherings, such as the World Youth Forum and IRENA Innovation Week.