More than 20 young Liberians, ages 6 to 17, graduated from a month-long summer training program in artificial intelligence and digital arts hosted by Heritage Liberia. The closing ceremony, held at the YWCA in Monrovia, drew parents, sponsors, and government partners despite heavy rain and flooded roads across the capital.
Now in its fifth year, Heritage Liberia's program brought together children from Monrovia and surrounding communities, including some who traveled from as far as Tupelo and Brewerville for instruction in programming, animation, digital art, app development, and AI fundamentals.
Heritage Liberia CEO Professor Weade Kobbah-Boley said the initiative grew out of her own effort to understand AI, describing how she studied introductory texts on the technology before applying what she'd learned by working directly with children. She said Liberian youth are talented but often lack the access to technology and training that their peers elsewhere take for granted, a gap the program is designed to close.
CEO Kobbah-Boley also addressed parental concerns about AI, urging families to stay engaged in monitoring their children's use of the technology rather than restricting access outright. She said the organization plans to keep students engaged year-round through weekend sessions and remote mentorship.
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Executive Director Eutychinus Kaman Weah, who joined Heritage Liberia this year after a career in international development, including UN work on digital transformation, said the camp built on a UN-supported holiday program he had previously run.
Both Weah and Kobbah-Boley cited funding as an ongoing challenge; the Liberia Telecommunications Authority supported the program, and the YWCA offered an affordable venue after other options proved too costly. Individual sponsors, including several based abroad, covered costs for specific students, and parents paid a nominal $100 fee, though actual per-student costs were significantly higher.
In her keynote address, attorney and newly appointed public defender Vivian Innis-McGill urged participants to see themselves as creators, not just consumers, of technology telling them AI should support, not replace, their own imagination and identity. She called on parents and the broader public to help ensure youth-driven ideas from Liberia reach audiences beyond its borders.
Organizers said the camp gives young Liberians productive alternatives to idle holiday time while preparing them to compete globally in emerging tech fields.
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