Young Sierra Leonean engineer and innovator Alfred Mbayoh has officially launched the Afrovate Tech Hub in Freetown, a youth-led initiative aimed at empowering young people with skills in technology, innovation and entrepreneurship.
The hub was formally unveiled on January 10, 2025, at a time when Sierra Leone continues to grapple with high youth unemployment, despite more than 60 percent of its population being under the age of 35.
Afrovate positions itself as a response to these challenges, offering young people access to practical skills, innovation support and entrepreneurship development.
Mbayoh is widely known for leading the development of Sierra Leone’s first mechanical ventilator during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, an achievement that drew international attention and highlighted the potential of local innovation in addressing global challenges.
Building on that experience, Afrovate Tech Hub has been established as what organisers describe as the country’s first youth-owned and youth-led centre focused on green skills, digital technology, innovation, entrepreneurship and advocacy.
Afrovate seeks to address issues such as unemployment, social exclusion and limited access to technology, which continue to affect young people nationwide.
Speaking at the launch as guest of honour, Minister of Youth Affairs, Hon. Ibrahim Sannoh, praised the initiative and described it as a practical example of youth-led development.
“I am impressed by what I have seen here today,” Sannoh said after touring the facility. “This shows that our country is on the right path through individuals who can think outside the box. It is important that we formalise our support through partnerships so we can work together.”
The minister noted that Afrovate aligns with three of the Ministry’s four strategic priorities: youth empowerment, technology and innovation, and climate change.
He said the Ministry would be failing in its mandate if it did not collaborate with the hub.
According to Mbayoh, Afrovate Tech Hub is designed as a safe and inclusive space where young people can learn, experiment and develop solutions to real-world problems.
“The Afrovate Tech Hub is a space to learn, to build, to fail safely, to innovate boldly and to grow with purpose,” he said. “Our focus is on local innovation and entrepreneurship, while building capacity in advanced digital technologies, UAV and remote sensing, renewable energy, product design and fabrication, circular economy and multimedia.”
Mbayoh also called on young people to make full use of the facility and appealed to partners and stakeholders to support the initiative.
The launch of Afrovate Tech Hub adds to a growing number of youth-driven efforts in Sierra Leone aimed at harnessing technology and innovation to support sustainable development and expand opportunities for the country’s young population.
