By Amin Kef (Ranger)
To support President Bio’s “500,000 Jobs Initiative,” the Ministry of Employment, Labour, and Social Security has taken steps to provide significant opportunities. This includes facilitating a non-collateral loan of $100 million and offering scholarships totaling $2.5 million to individuals who hold preparatory school and undergraduate degrees in STEM/AI and Business. These initiatives will enable qualified candidates to pursue postgraduate studies between 2024 and 2028.
It must be noted that on the 22nd September 2023 at the inaugural “Africa-US Presidential Forum on STEM and Business Education,” the Minister of Employment, Labour and Social Security, Mohamed Rahman Swaray announced a groundbreaking achievement for his country.
Representing President Julius Maada Bio, the Labour Minister attended an event hosted by Rutgers University in Newark, New Jersey, in partnership with the Nekotech Center of Excellence based in Ghana.
During the event, the Minister received a non-collateral loan amounting to a staggering $100 million, along with scholarship packages worth $2.5 million tailored for Prep School and first-degree holders in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics/ Artificial Intelligence (STEM/AI) and Business fields. These scholarships will enable Sierra Leonean graduates to pursue advanced studies in the United States between 2024 and 2028.
The generous financial aid is part of the Work/Study component of the ambitious “Transfer2Transform (T2T)” Project, a 5-year labor migration pilot initiative launched by the Sierra Leonean Government in May 2021 under the guidance of the Ministry of Employment, Labour, and Social Security.
Executed in collaboration with SOS Labour Ghana, an international recruitment and job placement organization, the project seeks to address the challenges associated with illegal and unregulated labor migration in Sierra Leone.
It comprises three key components: “Decent Work in Gulf States,” the “Diasporan National Service,” and the “Graduate Work-Study” elements.
The charismatic and result-oriented Labour Minister expressed his deep appreciation for the scholarship and loan opportunities emphasizing their timeliness and importance in bolstering Sierra Leone’s economic prospects. He assured that the youth of Sierra Leone would use these opportunities wisely, contributing to the nation’s progress and development.
In light of these developments, the Minister of Employment, Labour, and Social Security, Mohamed Rahman Swaray, will be accompanying His Excellency the President to the Nekotech Center of Excellence at Rutgers University in New Jersey. Their objective is to secure up to 1,000 seats in the USA through the SOS Transfer2Transform initiative, specifically designed for first-degree holders.
The Africa-US Presidential Forum on STEM and Business Education serves as a platform for fostering international cooperation and advancing educational opportunities in Africa, particularly in the fields of science, technology, engineering, mathematics (STEM), and business education.
With Sierra Leone’s latest achievements, it is evident that concerted efforts are being made to empower the country’s young talents and propel the nation towards its sustainable development goals by 2030.
Congratulations