By: Thaimu Bai Sesay
On Tuesday, May 28, 2024, the Minister of Communication Technology and Innovation, Salima Bah, announced the ‘Innovates Tech Summit’ at a government press briefing. Scheduled to take place from June 11 to 13 at the Bintumani International Conference Centre, the three-day conference aims to support skills development and improve the lives of young innovators in the country.
The summit will provide a platform for young innovators to present their challenges directly to investors and leading digital platform owners. Minister Bah emphasized the importance of transforming innovative ideas into profitable businesses. “It is about how we as a government would take those ideas and turn them into business,” she stated.
Minister Bah highlighted the Ministry’s shift from traditional revenue generation methods, such as mining and agriculture, to fostering innovation within these sectors. She noted remarkable local inventions, including a ventilator, a solar vehicle, and a walking robot, that lack proper platforms for investment and development.
“The summit aims to bring together all those innovators and the ecosystem of helpers they need to push their innovations to a higher height,” Bah said. She stressed the potential of these talents to transform not just individual lives but also the broader economy.
The conference will facilitate meaningful conversations between innovators and investors, addressing critical issues like access to technology, electricity, and, most importantly, financing. “We are also going to bring investors that are looking for technological ideas to invest in,” she assured.
In addition, the Ministry plans to involve the Director of Public Policy at Facebook and prominent platform owners from Nigeria to help Sierra Leonean social media content creators access vital information about content creation and monetization. “Content creation and social media advertising is a big business that generates over 200 billion dollars yearly,” Bah noted.
The ‘Innovates Tech Summit’ promises to be a significant step towards empowering young innovators in Sierra Leone, providing them with the resources and opportunities to turn their ideas into successful businesses.
