Entrepreneurship Academy
Launched under the SLEEK project, the University of Makeni’s Entrepreneurship Academy (EA) is building a new generation of entrepreneurial teaching — starting with the people who teach it. By equipping our own faculty with practical, hands-on methods for entrepreneurship education, the Academy is turning every classroom into a launchpad for ideas, innovation and enterprise across Sierra Leone.
Our Vision
To cultivate a nation of innovative job creators — empowering youth and communities through entrepreneurial education, fostering sustainable economic development, and building resilient ecosystems of enterprise across Sierra Leone.
Our Mission
We design and deliver inclusive, practice-oriented entrepreneurial training that equips our educators to support students and underserved groups — including market women, unemployed youth, and persons with disabilities — with the mindset, skills and resources to launch and grow sustainable businesses.
A Faculty-First Approach
Most entrepreneurship programmes start with students. Ours starts with the people who teach them.
The Entrepreneurship Academy trains UNIMAK’s own professors and teaching staff in experiential methods — design thinking, lean startup, and opportunity-driven learning — so entrepreneurship becomes part of how every department teaches, not an extra course bolted onto one. Trained faculty carry these skills directly into their classrooms, departments and research, creating impact that outlives any single training session.
The Academy works closely with UNIMAK’s Centre for Entrepreneurship and Innovation Hub, connecting classroom learning to real prototyping, mentoring and venture incubation — for students, and for entrepreneurs across the wider Makeni community.
Who Benefits
Faculty & Educators
Professors and teaching staff across every faculty gain practical teaching tools, mentoring and professional development — becoming multipliers of entrepreneurial thinking across the University.
Students & the Community
All UNIMAK students — along with women entrepreneurs, unemployed youth, and persons with disabilities — benefit from applied learning, mentoring and incubation support delivered by Academy-trained faculty.
Businesses & Partners
Local businesses, MSMEs, government bodies and NGOs gain access to research, talent and collaboration opportunities — while contributing mentorship, market insight and real-world challenges for students to solve.
What We Offer
- Entrepreneurship education and capacity-building for faculty
- Curriculum design and integration support
- Workshops, short courses and industry masterclasses
- Mentorship and coaching
- Business idea development support
- Entrepreneurship training for students
- Pre-incubation and incubation support
- Internships and job-shadowing opportunities
- Entrepreneurship competitions and pitch events
- Community outreach on entrepreneurship
- Dedicated support for women and youth entrepreneurs
- Networking and industry engagement
- Research, knowledge-sharing and documentation
Our Ambition
Within one year, the Academy aims to be fully operational, with trained faculty piloting new entrepreneurship-oriented teaching methods. Within three years, entrepreneurship education will be embedded across multiple academic programmes. And within five years, the Entrepreneurship Academy will stand as a permanent, sustainable driver of entrepreneurship and innovation — for UNIMAK, and for Sierra Leone.
Where We’re Based
The Entrepreneurship Academy is based on UNIMAK’s Fatima Campus in Makeni — a fully-equipped training space with seating for 50 to 100 participants, digital whiteboards, projectors, video-conferencing facilities, and reliable power and internet connectivity.
Supporting Global Goals
The Entrepreneurship Academy’s work contributes directly to six United Nations Sustainable Development Goals:
- SDG 4 — Quality Education
- SDG 5 — Gender Equality
- SDG 8 — Decent Work and Economic Growth
- SDG 9 — Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure
- SDG 10 — Reduced Inequalities
- SDG 17 — Partnerships for the Goals
Get Involved
Are you a UNIMAK faculty member interested in joining a Train-the-Trainers cohort? A student or community member looking for mentoring and entrepreneurship support? Or an organisation interested in partnering with us?
We’d love to hear from you.
Email: ea@unimak.edu.sl
Website: www.unimak.edu.sl
Location: Entrepreneurship Academy, Fatima Campus, University of Makeni, Sierra Leone