The Founder and Chief Strategist for Project 1808 Inc, Dr. Alhaji U. N’jai has told over one thousand participants at the 6th National Science and Leadership Festival in Kabala, “that the idea behind the annual Science and Leadership festival is to contextualize and domesticate Science, Technology, Engineering, Entrepreneurship, Environment, Arts and Mathematics (STEEEAM) within the Sierra Leonean or African context. “Even when we talk about AI or other technologies, if we are not able to put STEEEAM within the context of our communities and country, we cannot sustain and use them,” he said. Dr. N’jai, who is a Biomedical Scientist, Lecturer, and social commentator, believes that decolonizing STEEEAM and understanding their connections is fundamental to sustainable development. “The annual National Science and Leadership Festival (SciLead) is something that is important for the country because it gives a home grown solution to issues that impact our daily lives,” he stated. “SciLead has been a platform to engage and connect students, young people, adults, teachers, community members and stakeholders, to address the disconnects between learning and community problem solving,” said Dr. N’jai.
Project 1808, Inc. is a Sierra Leonean non-profit Community Based Organization (CBO) that was established in 2011with a mission to create thriving children, youths, adults, and communities by providing tools for technical, leadership, entrepreneurial, and greater resourcefulness.
Since it began its operations in Sierra Leone, Project 1808 Inc, through its school-community-college project initiative, has provided free educational support to over 500 students, that included a full package of tuition scholarship, after-school teaching and mentoring, career guidance, community service, community learning, and skills development through community projects. The organization has been pivotal in building a strong foundation for individual and community capacities to sustainably utilize their resources, strengthen health systems, improve gender equity, and resilient communities that can effectively respond to changing environmental needs. According to Dr. N’jai, the organization believes that “building or empowering an individual, the family and the community, could translate to having a sustainable transformational development.” This has also been evident in the provision and facilitation of projects such as the digging of community water wells, livelihood skills training for Ebola survivors, and currently working on establishing the first college in Koinadugu and Falaba districts.
“We draw upon the global thinking and local action that we can use our collective thoughts and efforts to develop tools that enable communities to sustainably manage and utilize their natural resources, while at the same time anticipating changes in their environments for better responses,” said Dr. N’jai.
Speaking on the relevance of the national annual Science and Leadership Festival, a former government Minister and Member of Parliament, Dr. Sheku Sesay commended the Founder of Project 1808 for his “major contributions to education and national development.” Dr. Sesay referred to Dr. N’jai as a visionary, and therefore pledged to support the organization in its endeavor to make greater impact nationwide.
Also, reiterating the importance of SciLead, the National One Health Coordinator for Sierra Leone Mr. Joseph Bunting-Graden described the annual science and leadership festival “as an instrument for change in Sierra Leone and the pace setter for community and individual development.” “Project 1808 is concerned about the transformation and solution for our country, and Dr. N’jai has taken up that leadership,” he added.
Sierra Leone’s Minister of Works and Public Assets, Mr. Peter Bayuku Conteh also commended Project 1808 for the educational impact it has been making, especially within Koinadugu and Falaba districts targeting the younger generation. He emphasized on the importance of education which he described as the “key to eradicating poverty and backwardness.” Mr. Conteh, who is a native of Koinadugu, pledged his continuous support to the project, and urged the students to take advantage of the available opportunities to acquire knowledge and build their capacity.
A Public Health Expert and Programs Manager in the Ministry of Health of Sierra Leone, Mr. Mukeh Kenneth Fahnbulleh, was the chairman for the 3-day event. According to him, sustainable development requires critical deconstruction of historical events that have impacted people’s approach to issues. “Until we ask important questions, our history and development patterns will always be affected,” he said. Mr. Fahnbulleh reiterated the vision of Project 1808, describing it as an organization that seeks a holistic social engineering to inculcate grassroots empowerment and sustainable development.
The three-day Science and Leadership festival was organized with the theme #STEEEAM and Leadership: Ideas to Action-Building Entrepreneurship, Economic Freedom, and Sustainability. Each day of the festival was full of Education and Entertainment (Edutainment), and characterized by practical and experiential discussions, experiments, cultural performances, music, and dance. Another interactive aspect, was the setting up of panel discussions that focused on science, one health, food security, transformative education, arts and culture, leadership, entrepreneurship etc. Panelists were able to identify and discuss about the challenges, and opportunities around these areas, as well as the big ideas, innovations, and ways to decolonize the system and achieve sustainable community and national developments. Experts and highly knowledgeable individuals from university, government, private sector, non-governmental organization, entertainment industry, entrepreneurs/ business owners, media, community members, and son deliberated on these panels and made salient contributions, followed by questions, and contributions from the participants.
The event was attended by a host of other professionals from the Agriculture, Public Health, Education, Engineering, Entrepreneurship sectors, amongst others. Several other participants included community and national leaders and stakeholders, amongst them was Dr. Femi Claudius Cole- Leader and former Presidential Candidate for the Unity Party, students from primary, secondary within Kabala and beyond as well as tertiary levels from across the country.
Currently, Africa accounts for less than one percent of the global scientific research output, despite comprising 12.5 percent of the world’s population. Young people in Sierra Leone face unemployment, and unable to tap into the vast number of opportunities offered by STEEAM. A huge mismatch exists between their training in school and STEEAM job or career opportunities available to them. Experiential and practical education that enhances STEEEAM, innovation, leadership, and entrepreneurship skills are often lacking within existing educational pedagogue. Project 1808, Incorporation through its vision is working towards changing this narrative through programs like the Science and Leadership Festival, and the establishment of Koinadugu College.
