Africell Sierra Leone has on Monday signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).
The MOU between the two, according to Chief of Corporate Affairs, Mr. Joe Abass Bangura, is intended to support the Ministry of Youth Affairs in a project that will enable the inclusive development of a National Youth Policy in Sierra Leone.
Mr. Bangura says Africell as part of its own side in the MOU will make an in-kind donation to UNICEF to support the U-Report platform through the removal of charges for all on-net SMS traffic to the Platform through the assigned short code, 2080.
The innovative mobile platform will engage youths in Sierra Leone to act as reporters (U-Reporters) on the most critical issues that will be considered in the development of the National Youth Policy.
The Chief Corporate Affairs Officer, Africell, told journalists that it is estimated that the project will generate traffic of 2,000,000 per month and that in addition, the company will be sending targeted SMS broadcasts to drive the U-Report registration right through the period of the campaign.
‘’Government can continue to count on Africell as a key partner in the development of our nation. On behalf of the Management and staff of Africell, I wish to commend MOYA for this bold and innovative initiative; making full use of technology to ensure that no youth is left behind in this exercise,’’ Joe Abass Bangura stated
He thanked the leadership of UNICEF Country office in Sierra Leone for the privilege to commence a partnership that they expect will extend to other areas of cooperation.
UNICEF representative, Dr. Hamid El-Bashir Ibrahim, noted that he was happy to be at the ceremony with the Minister of Youth Affairs, Mohamed Bangura.
The UNICEF representative applauded the government of President Bio for the vision and leadership exhibited to use innovation and technology to inform critical nation building agendas.
He committed UNICEF’s support to continue to work with the government to secure the protection of women and children.
‘’U-Report is UNICEF’s community, youth programme innovation platform in Sierra Leone. It was vital in our work in engaging with and informing young people of Sierra Leone around Ebola,’’ the UNICEF envoy stated.
He concluded by applauding Africell Sierra Leone for, according to him, they have been with them on this journey since the beginning.
Dr. Hamid stated that the signing of the agreement shows their commitment to the youth of Sierra Leone.
He entreated young people to make sure their voice is heard by signing up to the U-Report.
Chairman of the CEEBAH Group, Chernor Bah stated that they are determined as young people to ensure this time that the revised National Youth Policy gets a very inclusive and widely participatory attention from all shades of youths in Sierra Leone.
He added that youths in Sierra Leone should record this day as very historic and momentous largely because it has accorded them the opportunity to discuss the burning issues facing youths in the country and also allows them to contribute to the New National Youth Policy which will define a new path for the youths in Sierra Leone.
Mr. Bah praised the resilience of the Minister of Youth Affairs and his renewed commitment to change the narrative of youths in Sierra Leone.
Minister of Youth Affairs, Mohamed Orman Bangura, thanked the two partners for aiding the ministry in providing a platform for the youths in Sierra Leone to contribute to the National Youth policy.
He committed government’s determination to increasingly use mobile technology and innovation to solve the numerous challenges confronting youths in the country.
The climax of the press conference was the signing of the MOU between Africell and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF)
Africell has hugely contributed to the country’s newest drive to increasingly use innovation and technology to solve the country’s problems.
Quite recently, the company graduated over one hundred children from various schools in the capital city of Freetown after undergoing weeks of training on booth coding.