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Monday 09:00 - 17:00 Tuesday 09:00 - 17:00 Wednesday 09:00 - 17:00 Thursday 09:00 - 17:00 Friday 09:00 - 17:00

The Ignition Hour

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The Ignition Hour

The Ignition Hour is an Intensive 24 months Venture Building Program that develops sector disrupting

26/01/2025

THE FUTURE IS BRIGHT, AND WE ARE BUILDING IT TOGETHER!

Today, we wrapped up an extraordinary chapter in youth empowerment—the BADEA-funded Youth Empowerment Program, implemented by AGI & the Ministry of Youth Affairs!

Muzambiringa and Craving 4 Development were honored to lead the content development and facilitation of this impactful program, and, we delivered with intention, and with excellence.

At our core, we are ecosystem builders, business developers, and enablers of transformation. Seeing the energy, confidence, and ambition of these young people reminded us why we do this—because empowered youth are unstoppable!

Special Appreciation for those who made this a phenomenal success:
H.E. The First Lady of Sierra Leone, a true champion for youth
AGI, Maty Ndiaye Cisse, and the Ministry of Youth Affairs, led by Minister Mohamed Orman Bangura, for their trust and commitment
UNDP, especially Fredrick Ampiah
The dynamic moderators Isatu Harrison & Samuel Wise Bangura, for their brilliance and engagement
Joe Abbass Bangura of Life By Design, for his powerful motivation and life-changing inspiration
Keamon Events by Fatmata Davis, for executing a flawless event
The businesses of The Ignition Hour, for showing up to mentor, inspire, and uplift the next generation
The phenomenal speakers, enablers, and—most importantly—the vibrant and engaged youth who proved that the future of Africa is in exceptionally capable hands!

This is what true ecosystem building looks like—collaboration, empowerment, and unlocking boundless potential.

The future is bright. Hope is ALLOWED. Innovation will SPARK. Transformations will HAPPEN.

We are here for it. We are BUILDING it together.

31/12/2024

Resilience, Innovation, and Building the Future: 2024 in Review

2024 tested me like no other year.

Incubating five promising businesses.

Return 2 Eden, Tenex Farms, The Feeds Emporium, Coconut Food and Cosmetics Company, and Sarakoh Beehive Manufacture Company are transformative ventures with the potential to revolutionize the agriculture sector, drive wealth creation, and scale impact across Sierra Leone and beyond. Guiding their journey reaffirmed my belief in my resilience, sharpened my expertise in business development, and proved my ability to navigate even the most uncharted and challenging waters with purpose and determination.

In May 2024, I attended the AfDB Annual Meetings in Nairobi, Kenya, themed "Africa's Transformation, the African Development Bank Group, and the Reform of the Global Financial Architecture." These meetings were a powerful reminder of the gap that often exists between "us"—the policymakers and architects of reforms—and "them"—the communities that either benefit from or bear the consequences of these decisions.

This reflection fueled a commitment within me: to bridge this divide by championing initiatives that transform promises into tangible projects and bold perspectives into meaningful, actionable commitments.

2024 also solidified powerful partnerships:

SLECAD and our signed MOU, which promises transformative initiatives for local businesses in 2025.
The Local Content Agency, whose collaboration fuels our vision for a vibrant entrepreneurial ecosystem.
Women Mean Business, with whom we brought the Women in Business and Leadership Roundtable to life. 2025 will see this platform grow, bringing women together in even greater forms.
To Tafadzwa Chiganga, your partnership, sisterhood, and vision carried me through the toughest days. When you said, “The obstacle is the way,” you helped me find strength to move forward.

To the dream teams at Muzambiringa and Craving 4 Development—you are phenomenal. Together, we have built something extraordinary.

A heartfelt thank you to our partners:

IOM, for trusting Craving 4 Development to deliver business development training for 300 returning migrants.
ILO Sierra Leone, for empowering Muzambiringa to incubate 8 agri-focused businesses across the country.
CAFOD, BSL Management, and everyone involved in the Gender Financial Literacy Training of Trainers, for proving that change is possible.
Wango Global, for standing by us from day one with unwavering support.
As we step into 2025, I carry a renewed sense of perspective, determination, and collaboration. This year promises to propel local businesses and foster transformative initiatives, when we will “Be porous to all the breaths of the world", inspired by Leopold Sedar Senghor.

Together, we build, disrupt, and thrive.

31/12/2023

In 2023, we celebrated a year of remarkable achievements and progress.

Both co-founders, two-barrier breaking women, attended the Forbes Women Africa Leading Summit, in South Africa, an event uniting influential women in business, politics, art, sports, and civil society, all dedicated to creating a new, equal, and thriving world.

The Ignition Hour has successfully made its comeback under Muzambiringa with a new cohort, focusing on Agriculture sector disrupting business ideas and curating a unique Venture Building approach for Sierra Leone.

Our Co-Director actively participated in the COP, attending various sessions aimed at building a resilient, green, and sustainable world where the Global South will build its own space derived from its priorities, capabilities and ambitions. New projects are being curated and are hopefully on the verge of implementation in Sierra Leone.

The success story of Esther Kamara, an Ignition Hour recipient who now speaks on a global stage like COP, serves as a powerful reminder that investing in youth is a nation's best investment.

Her journey underscores the crucial need to invest in the youth, and her evolving success story captivates our attention as we witness her remarkable growth with anticipation.

Esther Kamara, has been an esteemed recipient of "The Ignition Hour," recognized for her insightful engagement, she became a beneficiary of our mentorship program, that led to her dynamic involvement in C4D's programs where she showcased exceptional organizational skills.

We are so thrilled to follow Esther's journey into a dynamic young individual embodying the spirit of action and contributing vision and innovative ideas to the fight against climate change. In her capacity as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) & Founder of Youth Initiative 4 Climate Action, she took the spotlight as a speaker at the "Taking Early Action to Scale: A Chapter for the Future" roundtable during COP28.

We ended the year with the warm note of the recognition from Salone Times who listed C4D's Co-Founder and Co-Director as 1 of the 10 Most Influential Sierra Leoneans.

As we bid farewell to 2023, we recognize our great team and partners, reflect on successes and look forward with hope. Craving 4 Development and Muzambiringa are eager for 2024, where our commitment to social entrepreneurship and skills development remain unwavering. We remain steadfast in empowering African youth, creating platform to share knowledge and expertise and develop thriving and scalable businesses with unraveled enthusiasm.

05/12/2023

Thrilled to have our Co-Director, Aminata Kane Balde, representing us at the UN Climate Change Conference - Dubai Climate Conference 2023!
§ Her dedication to shaping
sustainable agricultural practices aligns perfectly with this global initiative. Together, we're driving impactful change for a greener, more resilient future.

18/11/2023

Flashing back to the incredible moments of Season 4 at Ignition Hour!
From the launch of our 24-month venture building program in agriculture to the energy and innovation shared, every snapshot captures the essence of growth and determination.
Can’t wait for what’s next!
So join Craving for Development and its partners at the Pan-African Symposium on Agriculture if you missed out on the Ignition Hour events.
This event will be held from the 27th-29th November,2023 at The Bintumani Conference Center.
Sign up here :

https://rb.gy/cjvf7c

03/11/2023

As we’re on the second week of venture-building journey, we’re grateful for the incredible feedback from last week’s Ignition Hour event!
Your kind words fuel our passion to keep inspiring and igniting change.
Thank you for being a part of our journey. 🔥

28/10/2023

As we have reached the final day of the Ignition Hour events, we want to say a heartfelt thank you to all the incredible attendees, inspiring speakers, discerning judges, and visionary entrepreneurs who made Ignition Hour Season 4 a roaring success!
Your support fuels our passion for innovation.
Stay tuned as we continue the venture building program with our entrepreneurs & experts.

27/10/2023

Join us for the grand finale of the Ignition Hour Program!
It’s the Final Idea Pitch, where our participants will showcase their incredible projects.
Get ready to witness some incredible pitches as our participants compete to bring their innovative ideas to life.
Don’t miss out on this exciting pitching competition!

25/10/2023

Final preparations underway!
The Ignition Hour is TOMORROW!

Are you ready to unlock the doors to entrepreneurship excellence?
We are excited to see you there!
Be part of the revolution.

To participate as an entrepreneur, register here:
https://bit.ly/tihhackathon

To attend, register here:
https://bit.ly/tihregister

24/10/2023

Counting down the days!
Just 2 more days until The Ignition Hour takes off!

Prepare for insightful discussions, actionable strategies, and transformative mentorship.
Are you ready to fuel your entrepreneurial journey?

To participate as an entrepreneur, register here:
https://bit.ly/tihhackathon

To attend, register here:
https://bit.ly/tihregister

23/10/2023

Meet Your Hosts!
We're thrilled to introduce the passionate minds behind The Ignition Hour – your guides on this entrepreneurial journey!

Get to know us, our vision, and what drives us to empower aspiring entrepreneurs.
Join us on October 26 and let's embark on this exciting adventure together!

To participate as an entrepreneur, register here:
https://bit.ly/tihhackathon

To attend, register here:
https://bit.ly/tihregister

22/10/2023

The Excitement is building up!

Get ready to ignite your entrepreneurial spirit at The Ignition Hour.

Stay tuned for updates and mark your calendars for the game-changing event on October 26!

To participate as an entrepreneur, register here: https://bit.ly/tihhackathon

To attend, register here:
https://bit.ly/tihregister

Address

Freetown

Opening Hours

Monday	09:00 - 17:00
Tuesday	09:00 - 17:00
Wednesday	09:00 - 17:00
Thursday	09:00 - 17:00
Friday	09:00 - 17:00

Telephone

+23279053162

Website

http://www.theignitionhour.org/

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