Home Times Newspaper Bo

2000 children benefit from Orange Foundation’s Back-to-School Program

Orange Foundation has once again demonstrated its commitment to education through its annual Back-to-School donation program, benefiting 2,000 vulnerable children across the country.
The official handover ceremony, held at the Kingtom Police Barracks, brought together representatives from the media, the Sierra Leone Police, community leaders, and the Minister of Basic Education.

Welcoming guests, Director of the Orange Foundation, Annie Katta, emphasized that every child matters and that transparency remains central to the Foundation’s work. She noted that the donation exercise was conducted openly, with journalists and partners present to witness the distribution of learning materials.

She highlighted the Foundation’s broader efforts to strengthen education nationwide, explaining that schools in several districts have been equipped with tablets and projectors, reaching more than 30,000 learners. According to her, education and culture remain powerful tools for empowering young people and creating lasting opportunities.
“This Back-to-School donation reflects our shared vision—where education becomes a shield against poverty and a bridge to opportunity,” she said.

Through the Orange Foundation Network, more than 35,000 children across 16 African countries benefit from education-focused interventions. This year alone, 2,000 children in Sierra Leone were supported under the program.
At the Kingtom Police Barracks event, 150 pupils each received a complete learning kit consisting of seven branded exercise books, an Orange Foundation backpack, four branded pencils, one mathematical set, and four branded pens.

Although the items may appear simple, speakers noted that in the hands of a child they become tools of hope, focus, and possibility. By easing the financial burden on families, the initiative allows parents to meet other essential needs while enabling children to concentrate fully on their education.
“This initiative sends a powerful message,” Annie Katta added. “Every child here is not forgotten. Your education matters. Your future is important.”

Orange Foundation, working in partnership with organizations that support vulnerable women and children, reaffirmed its commitment to expanding access to education through innovation and community-based support.
Also addressing the gathering, Chief Executive Officer of Orange Sierra Leone, Aicha Touré, said education is at the heart of the company’s social mission.

“At Orange, we believe education is the strongest network we can build. It connects children to opportunity, communities to progress, and the nation to a brighter future. Every book and pen we give carries a message: we believe in you,” she stated.
She thanked teachers for their dedication, community leaders for their collaboration, and families for trusting the Foundation.
Minister of Basic Education and Senior Secondary School Education, Conrad Sackey described the event as a moment of renewed hope for the children.
“Hope is the foundation of learning,” he said. “And today, we are building that hope together.”

AI in Mining in SL:
Who Wins, Who Loses?

“The discussions were heavily focused on human capital development, with a strong emphasis on artificial intelligence. Right now, Sierra Leone has yet to meaningfully tap into AI in mining—but we must,” Aminata Kamara said, reflecting on her participation at the just-concluded Future Minerals Forum (FMF) 2026 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

The forum, which brought together global mining leaders, policymakers, and investors, was held under the theme: “The future of mining will be shaped as much by human capital as by AI.” Kamara spoke on “Why AI is Critical to Sierra Leone’s Mining Future.”
Her argument is informed not by theory but experience. In 2016, when Australia-based Iluka Resources acquired Sierra Rutile, Kamara visited mining operations in Australia and witnessed firsthand how highly automated systems allow a single operator to monitor and control entire mining processes—sometimes remotely. Productivity was higher, safety risks were lower, and decision-making was data-driven.

According to Kamara, Sierra Leone’s biggest constraint is not the absence of mineral wealth, but the structure of its mining workforce. She estimates that nearly 80 percent of workers in the sector are unskilled, low-skilled, or semi-literate, making the industry heavily dependent on manual labour and vulnerable to inefficiency, safety lapses, and exploitation.

To her, the government has a role to play to enhance the use of AI in mining so that the use affects no worker. She believes governments also have a critical role to play, not through heavy-handed regulation, but through targeted incentives.
Drawing from her experience in the U.K., she cited vocational training schemes where employees received tax breaks and other incentives at national level for employers who commit to ‘Investors in People’ through job creation and investing in practical certification programmes for their employees from apprenticeship to senior level roles.

She argues that similar incentives could encourage mining and other companies in Sierra Leone to take on apprentices, graduate trainees, and semi-skilled workers; particularly engineers who graduate with limited practical exposure to mines.
“You have graduate engineers who have never been to a mine, let alone have practical experience prior to gaining their degrees. That gap can be closed if companies are incentivized to train and build capacity.”

She is clear-eyed about timelines. Sierra Leone, she estimates, may be 10 to 15 years away from fully-automated mining systems. But preparation cannot wait.
“Human capital development is never short-term. If you want results in 10 years, you must invest now.”
For Kamara, this is not a technical issue, it is a governance and strategic leadership one. Extractive industries, she argues, often fall into a “mine and move” mindset, overlooking the long-term value of people.

“You see why some mines last 50 years. It’s because the development of individuals is paramount to the success of a company.”

“Many, including policymakers, fear that if you increase the use of AI technology, you risk putting people out of work, especially in mining communities where mining companies are often the only employer or main source of income.”
She rejects the idea that technology and employment must be in conflict. She, instead, argues that poor planning and lack of medium/long term vision, not AI, is the real threat.

“It’s a company’s deficiency if workers become redundant as a result of enhanced technology. That means poor manpower planning and lack of long term strategic vision,” she says plainly.

A Global Conversation Sierra Leone Cannot Afford to Miss
Across panels at FMF, artificial intelligence (AI) was framed not as a distant concept, but as an inevitable force that will redefine exploration, operations, and efficiency in mining.
Worldwide, mining companies are seeing AI work for them. About 65 percent of mining companies are already investing in AI technologies to improve operational efficiency. AI-driven automation has been shown to reduce labour costs by up to 30 percent while boosting productivity in parts of the mining operations.
From shortening exploration timelines to enabling remote-controlling operations, AI is already reshaping how mines function globally.

Why Governance, Not Just Technology, Matters
Kamara’s perspective is shaped by years in senior leadership roles at Sierra Rutile Limited and later Marampa Mines Limited, where she oversaw corporate affairs, human resources, government relations, and ESG engagement during periods of ownership transitions and regulatory scrutiny.
Her experience has taught her that governance and leadership failures often masquerade as technology problems.

At FMF, there was a clear message: AI adoption must be governed by long-term workforce strategy, not short-term efficiency gains. Kamara also emphasized that even the most technologically advanced mines still require people.

“There are no fully automated mines in the world; not even in Australia or Canada that are more technically advanced. You still need boots on the ground.”
Rather than replacing workers, Kamara advocates for re-skilling and multi-skilling them. She offered practical examples:

While some processing roles may become automated, human labour will remain essential in areas such as sampling, instrumentation, fabrication, electrical work, plumbing, and maintenance. These are tasks technology cannot perform independently.

“You move people. You build their capacity. You train them across departments so they are productive throughout their shift.”
Kamara has seen this work, albeit with a select few.
“It starts with mindset. The individual has to want to grow. Then the organization must identify and invest in them.”
Kamara’s reflections at the Future Minerals Forum are grounded not in theory, but in lived leadership shaped by her background in banking, mining, corporate governance, and people policy.

As Sierra Leone positions itself for future investment in the extractive sector, her message is clear: technology without people is not progress.

The future of mining, she argues, belongs to countries and companies that understand that governance, skills, and human capacity must evolve alongside innovation; not after it.