Monrovia – Carol Doe, a young Liberian technology expert who is evolving into a media entrepreneur, is in Abuja, Nigeria attending the 2019 edition of the Tony Elumelu Foundation Entrepreneurship Program.
In March this year, Doe was selected by the program organizers as one of the 3,050 entrepreneurs out of a total of 216,025 applications that were submitted.
This year’s program is the 5th edition of the Tony Elumelu Foundation Entrepreneurship Program.
Every year, the Tony Elumelu Foundation, which is considered the continent “foremost champion of entrepreneurship” hosts entrepreneurs, policymakers and business leaders from across Africa in one location.
Themed “Empowering African Entrepreneurs”, the event is happening at the Transcorp Hilton, in Abuja.
“The forum will feature masterclasses, a dynamic pitching competition, electrifying panel debates, and the Presidential Dialogue. It will engage an audience of 5,000 comprising of startup entrepreneurs, development institutions and policymakers,” TEF stated on its website.
At the forum, Doe is expected to pitch his social venture proposal to investors for sponsorship and brand collaboration.
The Young social entrepreneur entered into the program with one of his social ventures, Sport Liberia, Liberia’s first and only sports news platform which focuses on showcasing and digitizing statistics of home-grown sports talents. The platform also serves as a hub for relevant sporting information.
Doe, who has impeccable expertise for inventing social media and news platforms, says digitizing sports information will “sell Liberian talents to the outside world and the country will gain the dividend”.
“I am not a sports person, but I am an IT professional. I earned a Bachelor of Information Technology and it’s my responsibility to ensure tech tools are agents of development rather than simply a means of entertainment, which is why I hope to bridge that gap through the efforts of Sports Liberia,” he said.
A significant portion of Liberia’s population eagerly surfs the internet for the latest news and information about European football leagues, keeping up to date on information such as live scores, official squads, transfer deals, and player profiles.
And Doe is optimistic that his platform can also bridge the gap and allow Liberians to also know about local talents and at the same time attract foreign sports scouts to know about crude Liberian talents.
“Though there is also a great deal of enthusiasm and national pride for Liberian sporting events, the absence of any kind of organized sports news platform at the local level means that people are unable to access the same kind of information about the teams and players in their own backyard,” Doe said.
Doe says as his country strides forward into the digital age, “it is essential that technological innovation” promotes socio-economic development and interpersonal connections domestically.
“My goal is to create a platform that not only provides media exposure and access to information about local sporting events but also to work towards creating a positive financial return on the considerable investments toward Liberia’s local sports sector,” he said.
“Sports Liberia’s mission is to channel the pride and energetic spirit of the people of Liberia in order to improve the country’s image, promote tourism, create jobs, and improve infrastructure, all while integrating modern technology into Liberian communities.”
Doe says he will also be looking to expand his network of colleagues from across the continent while he attends the TEF in Nigeria.