Makeni, Sierra Leone — In a groundbreaking move to eliminate the digital divide in Sierra Leone, Media Matters for Women is bringing artificial intelligence (AI) education to rural communities through its innovative Digitruck Salone Project. Media Matters For Women’s mobile, solar-powered classroom is now equipping adolescent girls with hands-on experience in artificial intelligence as it expands digital access in some of the most remote areas of Sierra Leone.
The Digitruck Salone Project is Media Matters for Women’s flagship digital education initiative, developed in partnership with Close The Gap (Belgium), the BOLT grant program of the Internet Society Foundation (U.S.), Oak Foundation (Switzerland) and Africell (Sierra Leone). The program has been underway for over a year and is designed to deliver high-quality digital learning to some of Sierra Leone’s most underserved populations.
Housed in a solar-powered, 40-foot refurbished shipping container, the Digitruck functions as a mobile classroom fully outfitted with laptops, internet access, and educational software tailored for rural learners. Its mobility allows it to travel to areas where formal schooling is limited or nonexistent, bringing transformative technology directly to those who need it most.
Digitruck Salone program’s impact will become even more significant with Africell’s recent donation of 4G-enabled smartphones pre-loaded with AfriGPT, an AI-powered learning assistant designed to guide users through digital skills, answer questions, and facilitate real-time problem-solving. Each of the donated phones comes with unlimited internet, allowing Digitruck Salone students to continue learning beyond the walls of the mobile Digitruck. “This is one more step toward bridging the digital divide for rural girls,” said Media Matters for Women’s Founder and Program Director Alinah Kallon. “When we invest in their education, we invest in the future of their communities.”
Since its launch in May 2024, the Digitruck has moved to Makeni, Waterloo, and Kenema, delivering structured digital literacy programs that emphasize practical, hands-on learning. These include basic computer skills, internet navigation, online safety, and—most recently—introductory training in artificial intelligence. Over 300 adolescent girls and women entrepreneurs have completed the program so far, gaining not only technical skills but also a renewed sense of confidence, ambition, and connection to a digital world that once felt out of reach.