Event Report: Digital Public Goods (DPG) Meetup
Date:Friday, 9th January 2026
Venue: DSTI Hub, IPAM Campus, Freetown
Attendance: 65 Participants
Overview
The Digital Public Goods (DPG) Meetup held on 9th January 2026 at the IPAM DSTI Hub was a highly impactful and well-attended gathering. With over 65 participants, the event served as a platform to introduce and educate students and young innovators about the importance of digital public infrastructure, AI literacy, and collaborative technology for inclusive development.
Organized through a partnership between * IPAM and the Ministry of Communication Technology and Innovation (MOCTI), the meetup was facilitated by three key figures:
- Mr. Ibrahim Success Swaray – Host and DSTI Hub Manager at IPAM
- Mr. Sheku Jan Kamara – DPG Host IPAM
- Madam Hawa Kallon – DPG Lead, MOCTI and Technical Trainer
Program Flow
1. Opening & Welcome Remarks
The session opened with a warm welcome from Mr. Ibrahim Success Swaray, who emphasized the role of universities like IPAM in driving digital innovation. He expressed appreciation for the large turnout, especially given the short notice, and reiterated the value of such collaborative meetups for empowering youth in the digital space.
2. DPG Introduction Session
Mr. Sheku Jan Kamara delivered an in-depth presentation on Digital Public Goods (DPG). He explained the global initiative’s core mission, which focuses on building inclusive, open-source, and interoperable digital systems to support education, healthcare, finance, and governance.
Key areas covered included:
- The vision and standards of DPG
- Its impact on national development
- The benefits of DPG to students, developers, and entrepreneurs
Participants learned how DPG creates opportunities for co-creation, innovation, and shared progress.
3. Prompt Engineering Session
The final and most interactive session was facilitated by Madam Hawa Kallon, who introduced attendees to Prompt Engineering a vital skill for leveraging AI tools effectively.
Highlights included:
- Understanding how AI responds to prompts
- The importance of clarity, structure, and specificity
Practical examples of crafting effective prompts to get quality results from AI platforms like ChatGPT
Participants left with a deeper understanding of AI usage and how to apply prompt engineering in their academic and professional lives.
Impact & Engagement
The turnout of 65 participants, despite just a day’s notice, demonstrated a growing interest in AI and digital public tools among students. The session was highly engaging, with Q&A interactions, note-taking, and networking. A transportation stipend was provided to support inclusivity.
Conclusion
The 9th January DPG Meetup was a remarkable success. It not only introduced attendees to the world of Digital Public Goods but also equipped them with practical tools like Prompt Engineering to engage meaningfully with AI. The collaboration between IPAM and MOCTI is a strong step toward building digital talent and awareness in Sierra Leone.
Future meetups are expected to build on this momentum, with even more immersive sessions and opportunities for hands-on collaboration.
Prepared by:
Sheku Jan Kamara
Event Reporter, IPAM DPG Meetup
Date: Friday 9th January 2026
