By Temitope Egunjobi
Freetown, 22nd April 2026- The United Nations Development Program (UNDP) has launched a Circular Innovation Club at the Milton Margai Technical University as part of its Youth for Circularity 2030 Initiative sponsored by Samsung.
The initiative aims to address pressing environmental and socio-economic challenges, particularly those related to the disposal of end-of-life electronic devices, by equipping young people with the skills to tackle and manage this problem through sustainable and innovative solutions.
Deputy Vice Chancellor and Director of Academic Affairs at the MMTU Dr Mohammed A Jalloh, praised the launch, saying such exposure fosters innovation, problem-solving and the ability to have a positive impact.
Dr. Jalloh encouraged the students to join social and academic clubs, assuring them of the administration’s approval in line with their support for initiatives that empower students.
Project Analyst at UNDP, Abubakar Bangura, highlighted the project’s objectives, which he says are to achieve sustainable development goals. He stated that the Circular Innovative Club is open to all students and not exclusively for those with a scientific background, as it is also a platform for learning and collaboration.
Bangura mentioned that end-of-life electronic devices which the project aims to tackle is unavoidable. “Technology is a part of our day-to-day life,” he noted. The exposure of certain components contained in these devices when carelessly disposed of and come in contact with the environment and eventually consumed by humans will have a negative impact.”
He added that the project is advocating for a circular economy. “We can extract the valuable resources-gold, silver, carbon-that exist in our electronic devices without going to the environment,’’ he said.
He highlighted a key objective of the project – having young people empowered with the knowledge of the circular economy and mobile circularity to come up with ideas that will translate to business modules that can generate employment opportunities.
