By Ralph Sesay
President Bio said recently in New York that Africell is a good corporate citizen, a way ahead on the CSR ladder.
…’’We want to make Sierra Leone the hub of science, technology, and innovation and Africell has done an exceptional job helping us move towards this vision,’’ President Bio proudly noted.
Africell Sierra Leone has worked very hard in the last two decades and more to increasingly resonate their activities and programs with the aspirations of the people and government of Sierra Leone.
Their commitment to Corporate Social Responsibility and humanitarian benevolence has known no borders.
Their contributions to the development of art and entertainment, sports promotion, education and the media is resounding, and has no match over the years.
The Company has always been at the forefront in leading the country’s technological transformation and rebranding as they are the first to introduce the 2G, 3G and 4G technologies in the country, and quite recently, the E-SIM technology.
The urge by the company to always be the first to introduce the latest technology is precipitated by the desire to position the country and effectively contribute to government’s drive to attract more tourists to the country.
Since the introduction of the Free Quality Education scheme in 2018 and the establishment of the Department of Science, Innovation and Technology under the Office of the President, Africell has invested millions of dollars to propel the development of young people; using innovation and technology as the engine.
The hosting of the three-week booth camping for Secondary School Children in the Western Area at the Africell American Corner, and also the recent partnership with UNICEF to support the development of the New Youth Policy through the U-Report platform, is very much complementary of government’s strides in using technology and innovation to inform critical development programmes in the country.
Africell Sierra Leone has always looked for ways to support government’s education flagship project and innovation ambitions.
Their partnership with the West African Examinations Council quite recently reduced the acrimony that had marred the registration for public examinations and also checking of external examinations results.
This partnership has promoted the desire by government to provide increased access to more candidates to attempt the external examinations against the backdrop that government is paying for such examinations for public candidates.
In responding to the clarion call by the Central Bank and by extension the Government of Sierra Leone to provide opportunities for many more Sierra Leoneans to access financial access points, Africell has continuously fostered partnerships with the Sierra Leone Commercial Bank and Motor Bike Riders’ Union, with a view to increasingly provide financial access points and mobile services for Sierra Leoneans in remote areas of the country.
The actions of Africell has no doubt promoted growth in GDP as it is a proven fact that the more people have access to financial access points, they are likely to contribute to the GDP growth of that country.
The hosting of the Conference in New York in the United States of America was in no way not a surprise to Sierra Leoneans, as Africell is always committed to advancing the huge potentials of the country and the aspirations of government.