UNDP and Africell partner to boost digital connectivity for young innovators in Sierra Leone and The Gambia

By:  Nana Appiah Acquaye

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and Africell have entered into a partnership to enhance digital connectivity for young innovators at UNDP’s timbuktoo University Innovation Pods (UniPods) in Sierra Leone and The Gambia.

Under the collaboration, Africell will provide essential digital connectivity services to the UniPods, including 4G MiFi devices, high-speed internet access and Internet of Things (IoT) devices. The support is expected to strengthen the capacity of young innovators to develop, test and scale solutions addressing both local and global development challenges.

Africell Group Chief Executive Officer and President of the Africell Impact Foundation, Ziad Dalloul, said the partnership combines Africell’s connectivity expertise with UNDP’s innovation ecosystem. He noted that equipping UniPods with reliable internet services represents an investment in young Africans and supports the transformation of digital skills into viable enterprises.

Beyond infrastructure support, UNDP and Africell will collaborate on innovation and accelerator programmes aimed at increasing participation in the UniPods and enhancing their long-term social impact. These initiatives will draw on existing robotics, entrepreneurship and digital skills training programmes delivered by the Africell Impact Foundation through its learning centres across West Africa.

The agreement aligns with UNDP’s broader commitment to strengthening Africa’s home-grown innovation ecosystem under the timbuktoo initiative. According to Ahunna Eziakonwa, Assistant United Nations Secretary-General and Director of UNDP’s Regional Bureau for Africa, digital inclusion is central to Africa’s innovation and competitiveness agenda. She said expanding digital access enables young innovators to translate ideas into impactful solutions and supports inclusive economic growth.

UNDP’s UniPods are high-tech innovation and maker spaces located within public universities, designed to equip young people with the tools and skills required to develop market-ready solutions. They form part of the wider timbuktoo initiative, which also includes Policy Labs and thematic industry hubs aimed at increasing investment in African founders and startups.