Felei TechCity

Today, Felei TechCity CEO, David Manley, spoke about bridging the urban–rural digital divide at Parliament’s Committee on Communication, Technology & Innovation Annual Stakeholder Engagement in Freetown.

The event brought together key stakeholders to address critical gaps in Sierra Leone’s communications ecosystem, particularly access, quality of service, and affordability, and to drive practical solutions for inclusive, reliable, and sustainable digital connectivity.

From its strategic location in Bo District, to its focus on youth, startups, entrepreneurs, policymakers, and the private sector, Felei TechCity has been intentionally building toward this moment through decentralisation. Now, the focus shifts to coordinated national ex*****on.

Sierra Leone’s digital future must leave no one behind.

The Bo Community Solvathon
Pitch day‼️

With participants ideas refined, teams took to the stage to pitch solutions rooted in their communities. The results highlighted the ingenuity and potential of Bo’s young innovators:

1st Place – Team Towarma (NLe 25,000 Seed Grant) Addressing waste management through a structured, business-driven collection system aimed at creating cleaner communities.

On 2nd Place – Team Shellmingo (NLe 15,000 Seed Grant) Tackling unemployment with a soap-making venture designed to generate jobs and promote local production.

3rd Place – Team New Site (NLe 10,000 Seed Grant) Responding to climate change through agroforestry, combining environmental sustainability with economic opportunity.

We extend our sincere thanks to the facilitators whose guidance and expertise made this experience both impactful and practical for all participants.

Congratulations to all the teams who stepped forward with bold ideas and solutions. We look forward to working with more communities to identify local challenges, nurture innovation, and support the journey from ideas to fully established businesses.

From Community Challenges to Solutions‼️

Four days at the Uriel Complex in Bo became a hub of local innovation as Felei TechCity, in collaboration with the Ministry of Communication, Technology and Innovation and the Sierra Leone Digital Transformation Project hosted a Community Solvathon.

Over two days, participants were taken through the full lifecycle of building a social enterprise. They began with problem identification, looking into their communities to uncover pressing issues such as management, unemployment, and the effects of change. This was followed by solution development, where teams transformed these challenges into practical, revenue-generating business ideas, structured into clear models for ex*****on.

Participants were then introduced to digital tools, gaining hands-on training in Canva, Facebook, and Instagram, alongside mobile photography techniques to effectively showcase their products and services. The program also included financial literacy and modeling, equipping participants with skills in budgeting, profit calculation, and raising capital.

Finally, teams received guidance on business formalization, with expert from the National Investment Board (NIB) on how to transition from ideas to legally recognized enterprises.

Swipe through to see highlights from the Bo community Solvathon.

Strengthening the Foundations of Sierra Leone’s Expanding Tech Ecosystem‼️

This past weekend highlighted why Felei Tech City exists, to ensure that founders in Sierra Leone never have to build alone. Over two days, the Felei team engaged with rooms filled with young builders, operators, investors, policymakers, and partners, each contributing to the growing movement reshaping entrepreneurship in Sierra Leone.

At the National Students’ Entrepreneurship Conference & Muzambiringa Ye! Launch, the next generation of innovators stepped into their voices. Their curiosity, ambition, and desire to solve real problems reflected Felei Tech City’s brand promise: Never Build Alone.

At the KNESST D3, Moonlanding Demo Day, Felei celebrated the country’s developers and digital builders. The solutions presented reflected the organization’s core belief that transformative innovation can emerge from Sierra Leone when founders have access to capital, community, and an environment that allows them to focus on what matters. This year’s theme, landing real solutions, aligned perfectly with Felei’s mission.

During the DSTI x ITC “Speed Date With a Mentor” programme, Felei participated in a fireside chat on leadership, clarity, and building with conviction. The real impact came from the honesty in the room: young founders openly shared challenges, mentors listened deeply, and practical guidance was exchanged. This exemplifies community in action, people sharing real experiences, learning from each other, and moving forward together.

At the RAIN Angel Investment Night, the energy around investment, collaboration, and ecosystem coordination highlighted that the private sector, development partners, and founders share a common goal: creating believable pathways to scale, grounded innovation, and catalytic community.

The weekend reinforced that Felei Tech City’s intentional strategy of community building is succeeding. What is being built is more than a tech city, it is a movement that brings government, private sector, founders, and investors into the same weave. Inspired by the Fɛlei basket, the organization helps winnow ideas, remove friction, and create spaces where talent can grow.

To every founder, mentor, partner, and student engaged: they belong here. Every journey matters to the future being built. Felei Tech City continues to create, connect, and demonstrate what is possible.

Send Me, a Sierra Leonean e-commerce and logistics startup, has won the Startup World Cup Regional Semi-Finals at the 2025 Africa Tech Festival in South Africa, securing a spot in the Grand Finale in Silicon Valley where it will compete for a $1 million investment prize. The trip was supported by the International Trade Centre, the Korean International Cooperation Agency and the Ready Salone project, forming part of a wider push to move Sierra Leonean startups from pitch rooms into global value chains where they can compete, partner and scale.

Read More
https://mocti.gov.sl/send-me-a-sierra-leonean-e-commerce-startup-wins-startup-world-cup-semi-finals-in-south-africa/

Photos from the MoU signing between Felei TechCity and the Christex Foundation, sealing a partnership to drive innovation through blockchain and AI, and open new pathways for tech growth in Sierra Leone.

Felei TechCity and Christex Foundation have signed an MoU to drive innovation through blockchain and Artificial Intelligence building smarter systems and stronger partnerships for national growth.

Read more on the MoU below.