Tech For Good: Young Sierra Leoneans Turns Ideas into Possibilities

For one evening, the future looked a little different.

It looked like a young Economics student imagining a world where waste could become an opportunity. It looked like a digital marketplace connecting skilled workers to the people who need them. And it looked like technology creating safer spaces and wider opportunities for women. At the 2026 Tech for Good Awards Night in Sierra Leone, these were not simply ideas on presentation slides. They were possibilities waiting for a chance to grow.

Organised by the Africell Impact Foundation in partnership with the Oxford University Africa Society and Fourah Bay College, the evening celebrated young Sierra Leoneans who are beginning to see technology not only as something to consume, but as a tool for solving the problems around them. The room brought together young innovators, institutional leaders and stakeholders, but at the heart of the celebration was a simple and powerful question: what happens when young people are given the space to imagine solutions? For three finalists, the answer came in the form of recognition and a step closer to turning their ideas into reality. The finalists were: Leon Grovesnor (Eco Kopor), Yeniva Lansana (Her Sphere) & Michael Blango (FƐNAM).

Leon Grovesnor, an Economics student at Fourah Bay College, emerged as the overall winner with Eco Korpor, a technology-driven platform designed to facilitate the trading of recyclable materials. At its core, the idea speaks to a challenge that is visible in communities across Sierra Leone: what happens to the things we throw away? Leon Grovesnor secured a £5,000 grant to support the development and implementation of Eco Kopor over one year.

Through Eco Korpor, waste is reimagined not simply as something to be discarded, but as a resource that can be collected, traded and recycled. The platform aims to encourage responsible disposal while contributing to more sustainable waste management practices. But the evening belonged to more than one idea.

Michael  Blango was recognized for FƐNAM, a digital marketplace designed to connect skilled workers and informal service providers with customers looking for reliable services. In a country where many talented people work outside formal employment structures, the idea offers a bridge between skill and opportunity.

Then there was HerSphere SL, developed by Yeaniva Agnes Lansana. Her mobile-first, AI-supported platform seeks to empower women through safe reporting mechanisms, mentorship, skills development and access to opportunities. Together, the three finalists offered a glimpse of how technology can meet everyday realities. One looked at the environment. Another considered livelihoods. The third focused on the safety and advancement of women.

The event brought together The Group Chairman and CEO, Ziad Dalloul, Africell Sierra Leone CEO, Shadi Gerjawi, the Africell Group Management and other distinguished guests and talented innovators. Their ideas were different, but they were connected by something deeper: a willingness to look at the challenges around them and ask whether there might be another way forward.

The journey began with the 2026 Innovation Seed Fund at the Oxford Africa Conference, which gave students and recent graduates of Fourah Bay College an opportunity to develop and present technology-driven solutions to real-life problems. Ten students initially presented their proposals, with three finalists eventually emerging.

Speaking at the awards night, Africell Sierra Leone Chief Executive Officer Shadi Gerjawi commended the participants for their creativity and commitment. But his message also looked beyond the celebration of ideas. Innovation, he suggested, must eventually move from imagination to implementation. A good idea must be given the opportunity to become something practical, sustainable and commercially viable. His optimism extended to the future of the initiative, including the possibility of a second edition that could open the doors to young innovators from other universities. For Fourah Bay College, the moment carried its own significance.

Deputy Registrar at Fourah Bay College Brima Bah described the recognition as a proud moment for the institution, particularly as it approaches its bicentenary. Beyond the classrooms and lecture halls, the achievements of the students offered another reminder of what young people can do when knowledge is matched with opportunity.

For Leon Grovesnor, the experience was deeply personal. The recognition, he said, had expanded his knowledge and strengthened his confidence as an emerging innovator. He was particularly grateful for the opportunity to present his idea to the Oxford University Africa Society without having to make the journey to the United Kingdom.Sometimes, opportunity does not begin with having everything. Sometimes, it begins with having a door opened.

The Tech for Good category also received support through a £5,000 grant for the winning project, alongside mentorship and implementation support. For a young innovator, such support can mean the difference between an idea remaining a conversation and becoming something that reaches real people. And perhaps that was the true significance of the evening.

The awards were important. The applause mattered. But beyond the certificates and recognition was a larger investment in possibility. Sierra Leone’s challenges are real, from unemployment and waste management to inequality and limited access to opportunities. Yet within those challenges are young people who are looking closely at the world around them and imagining ways to improve it.

The Tech for Good Awards Night was a reminder that the future does not arrive fully formed. It is built gradually, often beginning with a question, an idea and someone willing to believe that a solution is possible. As the evening came to a close, the young innovators left with more than recognition. They carried the knowledge that their ideas had been seen, heard and taken seriously.

And in a country filled with young minds waiting for an opportunity to create, that may be one of the most powerful investments of all. Because technology is at its most meaningful not when simply makes life faster or more convenient, but when it helps people imagine a better life and gives them the tools to build it.