The Minister of Communications, Technology, and Innovation Salima Mornorma Bah has announced the participation of five Sierra Leonean youth technologists at the Gina Technology Center for training in Barcelona, Spain in early 2024.

The announcement was made by the minister during SDG Digital Day, a side event at the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
This is a significant step towards connecting every school to the Internet.

Giga is a joint initiative by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) connecting every school in the world to the Internet. The Giga Technology Center, made possible through the generous contributions of the governments of Spain, Catalonia, and Barcelona, serves as the hub of Giga’s open-source technology products aimed at providing connectivity solutions to governments.

Sierra Leone will send five young and talented developers to work closely with Giga’s technology team at the Giga Technology Center in early 2024.

Talented Sierra Leoneans along with technologists from other Giga partner countries will be working closely with Giga’s technology team at the Giga Technology Center, and will actively participate in co-developing products related to mapping, data science, and blockchain-based accounting platforms.

The minister, Salima Bah, expressed her enthusiasm: “Sending our young developers to the Giga Technology Center presents a golden opportunity for them to acquire invaluable skills and co-create technology solutions shaped by our specific needs and context that will serve our nation.”

“Through our partnership with Giga, we have successfully mapped every school in the country, crucial towards creating a comprehensive plan for school connectivity. Over the last year, we have also successfully connected 42 schools through this initiative, which led to us unlocking US$5 million from the Islamic Development Bank to support our connectivity projects. This new collaboration with Giga in Barcelona signifies a significant milestone and brings us closer to our ambition for every school and every student in Sierra