Make Sierra Leone Famous Podcast Explores College Education and Jobs in Sierra Leone

In the fifth episode of the Make Sierra Leone Famous Podcast: ‘In Sierra Leone, Is College Education A Waste?’ our host Vickie Remoe is in conversation with Prof. Mariam Conteh-Morgan, Deputy Vice Chancellor of the Institute of Public Administration and Management (IPAM) at the University of Sierra Leone, Yasmin Metz Johnson, creative digital entrepreneur and founder of TELLS TRIPS, and Jon Akinola, entrepreneur, film and music producer to have a pressing conversation on the state of the workforce and higher education in Sierra Leone. 

The Challenges and Opportunities in Sierra Leone’s Workforce

The Sierra Leonean workforce is predominantly agricultural, with 90 percent of them being either informally employed or in low skilled labour. The Human Capital development of the country remains a significant concern as Sierra Leone ranks 151 out of the 157 countries on the Human Capital Index (HCI). This is comparatively lower than other countries in the West African region.

Universities in Sierra Leone are striving to make their students employable, with efforts such as a 2018 grant presented by the British Government to 7 universities in Sierra Leone which led to curriculum revisions to meet employer standards. Despite these improvements, high unemployment and career saturations in the workforce pose challenges to graduates.

Prof. Conteh-Morgan, who was a lead in that project, highlighted the collaboration between universities and professionals to align college education with job market needs in the project. However, Metz Johnson shared that she could utilise her degree in interior architecture only through connections, rather than a ready job market, therefore prompting her to carve her own path through entrepreneurship.

Akinola criticised the obsession with white collar jobs among young Sierra Leoneans, emphasising the untapped potential in the digital and creative industries for building lucrative careers.

But he also added the importance of young people to do some introspection into themselves to identify where their talents lie and create a vision for themselves. In order to bring their visions to life, they would need to educate themselves through avenues on the internet like YouTube, online courses, and reaching out to the people they aspire to become.

Akinola promises that by taking this path and dedicating themselves to their vision, they will attain great goals in their careers, with or without a college education.

Make Sierra Leone Famous Podcast is Available on Video and Audio on Youtube, Spotify and Apple Podcasts

This episode also touched on changes in the Sierra Leonean university curriculum, importance of skills development, and areas of opportunities within the Sierra Leonean job market. To catch a rewind of the episode, click on this link to stay in tune.

A new episode of the Make Sierra Leone Famous podcast will go out this Thursday at 10:00 AM. It will be available online via YouTube, Apple Podcast, Spotify, and Audiomack, so make sure to not miss it!