MMTU launches Entrepreneurship Academy
FREETOWN 232news – The Entrepreneurship Academy (EA) of the Sierra Leone Education in Entrepreneurship Pedagogy and Skills (SLEEK) Project was launched at the Great Hall of the Milton Margai Technical University (MMTU) Goderich Campus on Wednesday 14th October 2026.
Co-funded by the European Union and other partners and in collaboration with universities in Spain and Austria, the project aims at empowering future entrepreneurs for national development.
The Entrepreneurship Academy (EA) has been established to deliver inclusive, practical-oriented entrepreneurial training that equips educators so that they can support students and underserved groups, persons with disabilities with the mindset, skills and resources to launch and grow sustainable businesses.
The EA will act as dynamic hubs within the university, promoting collaboration with the business sector, enhancing access to technology and strengthening the entrepreneurial ecosystem for national development in Sierra Leone.
Delivering his keynote address, the Acting Vice Chancellor and Principal of MMTU, Dr. Mohamed Alie Jalloh described the SLEEK Project as brilliant and the team as formidable, that it is the bedrock of MMTU and needs visibility, reiterated the key role of partners due to limited government funding and stressed that sustainability of the project need not be overemphasized.
According to Dr. Jalloh, similar projects in the past like Social Studies, Population and Family Life Education and Community Development Studies funded by donors have all ceased due to the lack of funding and urged the project team to bring onboard Artificial Intelligence and Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics reiterating that sustainability must be infused into the laudable SLEEK project.
He also observed that a good number of school leavers want to access university education and appealed to all to be job creators and not job seekers.
In his welcome statement earlier, Mr. Peter Jajua, a lecturer and member of the SLEEK Project revealed that the occasion is historic, that the Academy is to empower individuals to transform their ideas by going beyond the traditional university education and commended the European Union and other partners for their invaluable support.
He also underscored that the project is to empower youths and the economic development of the country and that it is also a hope for a brighter Sierra Leone.
Giving an overview of the project, the Project Coordinator, Mr. Papa N’jai revealed that they wrote a proposal to the European Union that approved the 300,000 Euro Project for three years, asserted that the process was very competitive, that the project would infuse entrepreneurship in the curriculum, acclaimed the Acting Vice Chancellor and Principal of MMTU, Dr. Mohamed Alie Jalloh for his invaluable support, recalled the challenges over the past months to launch the project and assured that the SLEEK Project would be a game changer for MMTU as it would focus on the country’s human capital development.
He also enlightened that the project started 18 months ago with four other universities including the Institute of Public Administration and Management (IPAM) and the University of Makeni, guaranteed that the curriculum of the over 200 years of university education in Sierra Leone would not be altered, that the pilot phase of the project has commenced and that now is the intensive training of educators.
Mr. Papa N’jai also disclosed that a mini-hob with between 18,000-19,000 dollars’ worth of equipment would be setup for students to access resources, encouraged all to come up with innovative ideas, underscored that the project has unlimited opportunities and that it would empower youths to compete globally.
Highlights of the well-attended event were the official launch declaration of the project by the Acting Vice Chancellor and Principal, unveiling of the EA Plaque, ribbon cutting, conducted tour of the innovation hob, the networking session while the vote of thanks was rendered by Dr. Sylvia Juta, who expressed similar sentiments.
