"What Changes for Aminata?" Diaspora Webinar Asks How Education, Energy and AI Can Open Doors for Sierra Leone's Youth
October 15 panel challenges the diaspora to move from sending money home to building systems at home
SAVANNAH, GA, October 02, 2026 -- Aminata is seventeen and lives in Falaba District in northern Sierra Leone. She does her homework by the light of a phone charged at a shop down the road. She has heard that young people in Freetown earn money online, and she wonders whether that future is meant for her.
Aminata is a composite of thousands of young Africans, and her question anchors "Education & Digitalization: The Engine of Personal Growth and National Transformation," a free 90-minute webinar hosted by SierrAfrica Diaspora Connect (SADC) on Thursday, October 15, 3:00 p.m. EDT (8:00 p.m. BST; 7:00 p.m. GMT).
Moderator Golda Fania Kamara, who implemented Sierra Leone's first National Health Information Hub, will guide four panelists: accountant and nonprofit leader Bamikole Roberts; international education specialist Sajdah Ali; cybersecurity professional and entrepreneur James Kamara; and clean-energy entrepreneur Mariama Kamara, co-founder of the African-language AI venture SanKam. Topics range from teaching students with intermittent power to the risks of rogue AI agents for a country just beginning to adopt AI.
Golda Kamara said, "Technology does not transform societies. People do. Skills, institutions, trust and opportunity do. The goal isn't to build for Sierra Leone. It's to build with Sierra Leoneans."
Register: Visit sierrafricanetwork.com/events, complete the SADC interest form, then finish registering on Zoom. Both steps are required.
The session is the second in SADC's Global Webinar Series, following September 24's "Culture as a Connector." Upcoming webinars include:
November 5: Agriculture, Health & Foodways
November 19: Homecoming with Purpose
December 10: Investing in Sierra Leone
The series builds toward SADC's 10-Day Heritage & Legacy Tour, March 7–16, 2027, including Bunce and Tasso Islands, Bo District, Mozza Beach, and a historical immersion in the inaugural Freedom Day commemoration. The tour is limited to 30 travelers at $2,500 per person (double occupancy), including a legacy gift to support the 5,500 people who live on historic Tasso Island. This year, SADC partnered with LifeStraw to provide water purifiers in the five schools located on Tasso Island.
About SierrAfrica Diaspora Connect: SADC is a multicultural coalition that strengthens ties between Sierra Leone and the global African diaspora through heritage, community development, cultural exchange, tourism, and investment.
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Marva GoldsmithSierrAfrica Diaspora Connect
Savannah, GA
United States
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