STEM learning for young Africans, on the ground and online.
RiseAfrica Foundation for STEM & Innovation is a youth-led organisation. Our team on the ground in Sierra Leone runs school clubs and community workshops, and we teach students across Africa online, with partner organisations in other African countries.
How we started, and where we are.
RiseAfrica was founded by Ibrahim Denis Fofanah, a data scientist based in the United States, to give young Africans the hands-on STEM learning and guidance that is hard to find where they live.
Our work on the ground is in Sierra Leone, where our national team runs school clubs, workshops and community programs. Online, we teach students across Africa, working with partner organisations in other African countries.
We began in 2025 with volunteer effort and our own resources: AI awareness sessions, workshops and community events. Today we are a registered community-based organisation in Sierra Leone, with US nonprofit registration in progress.
Our missionTo equip young Africans to solve the problems in their own communities with AI, data and STEM, through free courses built on African data, mentorship and real projects.
Milestones
Dec 2025
Two-day seminar on AI and careers at Imtech Hall, with certificates for participants →Jun 2026
Career Connect Forum with LEAD Sierra Leone in Makeni: AI for Career Success, 30 young people →Jul 2026
First Girls in STEM club opens at Dr. Kadi A. Sesay Girls Secondary School, Port Loko →Sep 2026
Open STEM dataset project launches in Krio, Mende and Temne →Oct 2026
Training young women with Girls Connect Sierra Leone to collect the data →
Four things we run today.
Principles that shape every decision.
Accessible to everyone
STEM should not depend on where you were born or what you can afford. We build for under-resourced communities first.
Mentorship at the core
Nobody rises alone. Teachers, students and professionals learn and grow side by side.
Rooted in community
We meet learners where they are and build programs around real local needs.
African context, African solutions
Real African data and real local problems, so skills stick and solutions matter at home.
The team behind RiseAfrica.
Leadership
Sierra Leone team
Registered, and accountable.
The details behind RiseAfrica, for the students, partners, and funders who trust us.
- Registered name
- RiseAfrica Foundation for STEM & Innovation
- Status
- Registered Community-Based Organisation (CBO) in Sierra Leone
- In progress
- US nonprofit registration and Sierra Leone NGO registration (MoPED) in progress, started October 2026
- Location
- 455 Franklin Blvd
- Contact
- info@riseafrica-stem.org
There’s a place for you.
Whether you're a teacher, a student, or a tech professional, you can help ignite the next generation.