By: Van
Soul Addey
Sierra Leonean innovator
Mohamed Saviour Samu has launched insect-based fertiliser and protein products
through his company, EntoTech Innovations, following support from the President
Bio Innovation Award.
The products were launched
this week at the Njala University Living Lab in Taiama, marking the transition
of Samu’s innovation from an award-winning idea into a commercial product.
Through EntoTech
Innovations, the Black Soldier Fly is used to transform cassava peels and crop
residues into organic fertiliser for soils and protein for poultry and fish
farmers.
Samu received a US$30,000
grant after winning the President Bio Innovation Award, providing the initial
funding needed to develop the idea.
The grant has supported the
establishment of a three-acre site at Four-Mile, close to poultry farmers, as
well as the Insect Village, a purpose-built breeding facility.
EntoTech currently has about
five tonnes of fertiliser ready for the market and more than 300kg of protein
with farmers for testing. Sales of the products began on the day of the launch.
The initiative originated
from the 2025 SL Innovates challenge, which asked young Sierra Leoneans what
they would build for their country. Samu responded with an innovation aimed at
turning agricultural waste into productive and valuable inputs.
The Ministry of
Communication, Technology and Innovation said the initiative reflects its role
in identifying innovators, supporting them at an early stage and helping them
develop their ideas into businesses.
Samu and the EntoTech team
have moved from the initial pitch to a commercial product within one year, with
the ministry pledging continued support for the venture.
At the launch, Permanent
Secretary of the Ministry of Communication, Technology and Innovation,
Stevenson K. Kamanda, framed the challenge behind the innovation: “How can we
turn something that is considered waste into something productive and
valuable?”
The EntoTech initiative
seeks to address that challenge by converting agricultural waste that would
otherwise go to waste into fertiliser and protein, while creating opportunities
for farmers and contributing to Sierra Leone’s innovation and enterprise development
agenda.
