13 March 2026
Fourah Bay College (FBC), a constituent campus of the University of Sierra Leone, in partnership with the Oxford University Africa Society and sponsored by the Africell Impact Foundation, launched the call for applications on Thursday, 12 March 2026, inviting eligible FBC graduates to participate in the Innovation Seed Fund (ISF), Tech for Good. The initiative will be showcased at the Oxford Africa Conference 2026, from 16 to 17 May, under the theme “Anchoring Africa: Grounded Leadership in the Age of Disruption.
The launching ceremony which took place at the American Shelf, located in the FBC Main Campus Library, turned a quiet corner of books, for a moment, into a doorway to the wider world.
In a brief welcome during the launching ceremony, the Deputy Registrar of Fourah Bay College, Mr Brima Bah, expressed appreciation to the partners for opening such a rare window for FBC graduates, urging students to seize it with both hands, as it carries the promise of growth, exposure, and transformation.
Clarifying the eligibility criteria during the event, the Director of Talent Development at Africell, Dr Fatmatta Taqi, emphasised the importance of the scholarship and explained that FBC had been selected as the pilot institution of the scholarship programme in Sierra Leone . She highlighted that the award carries a £5,000 grant to implement a project over 12 months, guided by dedicated mentorship and technical support, with fully funded travel and accommodation to Oxford for three shortlisted finalists, offering the chance to pitch before global policymakers, investors, and innovators. She noted that this year’s opportunity is limited to graduates of FBC who completed their studies within the last year. The sponsors, she added, will potentially consider extending the opportunity to other academic institutions in subsequent episodes, urging FBC to once again display the intellectual strength that once rang across West Africa like a morning bell.
Building on this message of opportunity and institutional pride, the Deputy Vice Chancellor of FBC, Associate Professor Andrew C.M. Baio, echoed this gratitude, noting the relevance and timeliness of both the scholarship and the conference theme in an era of swift change. He reminded the audience that FBC’s story has long been braided with British academia, recalling its historic affiliation with Durham University from 1876 to 1967, a relationship that once placed the college at the scholarly heart of West Africa. This new collaboration, he suggested, feels less like a beginning and more like a homecoming
The Chief Executive Officer of Africell, Shadi Al-Gerjawi, himself an alumnus of FBC, spoke with the tenderness of someone returning to a familiar ground. He explained that Africell’s vision is to work alongside academic institutions to create enabling spaces where Sierra Leone’s young population can turn curiosity into invention and ideas into nation-shaping work. Participation, he said, would bring both personal growth and institutional pride.
Delivering the vote of thanks, Ms Nancy Fanny Young, a recent graduate of FBC, expressed her appreciation to the college administration and partners for creating such an opportunity, encouraging her peers to approach the application process with patience, discipline, and belief.
Apply Now https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSe4wJ4Y5sQQG_iAwiuUr_tZrSsYIE5bKPNIsAfflvcV0h1f-w/viewform
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