Samuel Atere-Roberts is the president of the Prince of Wales Alumni
Association (P.O.W.A.A.), Georgia Chapter, in the United States. On
June 10, he participated as project manager in the commissioning of the
solar powered computer center at his alma mater, the Prince of Wales
School at Kingtom, in Freetown, Sierra Leone.
Computer literacy is a prerequisite for many jobs today, but
students in Sierra Leone often have to seek out computer schools to
gain the necessary skills. There are many issues that can inhibit the
opening of a computer center in a school here, not the least of which
is funding. The Prince of Wales School, for example, has no power,
despite its close proximity to the city's main power station. To
provide the school with computers meant also supplying power and
reliable Internet access, in this case a solar power system and
high-speed satellite service, as well as an I.T. teacher. The project
was sponsored by Old Princewaleans and friends from around the world.
This is an edited excerpt of an interview with Atere-Roberts by Roland Marke.
***
Please walk me through the Solar Powered Computer Project: how was it born?
On Feb. 1, 2006, Mr. Eben Strasser-King, a member of the board of
governors submitted a document that listed his personal views about the
project needs of the Prince of Wales School, including the estimated
costs for implementation of these projects. This document was
circulated amongst Princewaleans in the diaspora. One of the needs in
that document dealt with improving the operations of the computer
center. He listed the following problems associated with the existing
computer center:
Lack of proper supervision and capable trainer due to high cost of hiring expertise.
Lack of enough computers to service the student population.
Cost and unreliability of related Internet support services.
Lack of regular and reliable electricity supply.
Misuse of and damage to computers by staff members.
The document recommended that additional computers be purchased and
that the existing computers be repaired. Also recommended were the
purchase of a generator for power supply, the provision of Internet
service, and the employment of a manager or teacher and assistant for
the computer center.
As a professional engineer and then the vice president of the Prince
of Wales Alumni Association, Georgia Chapter, I reviewed the document
and developed a project to address the computer center needs of the
school. In August 2006, I presented a proposal to the P.O.W.A.A.
Georgia members, to raise funds to implement a project and create a new
computer center powered by solar energy. I estimated that the capital
cost would be between $60,000 and $70,000. The Georgia Chapter accepted
the proposal and committed to an initial funding of $25,000 to this
project. I also made presentations to the other Prince of Wales Alumni
Chapters, including Maryland and Washington, D.C., New Jersey and
California, and the United Kingdom and Ireland. All Chapters gave their
total support to the project.
A global fundraising drive for the project was then started and
Princewaleans from all over the world were encouraged to support the
project. All the other four chapters contributed generously to the
project, in addition to individual contributions from Princewaleans and
their supporters around the world. While fund raising was going on, I
took the lead in developing project specifications for procurement of
solar equipment and computers. A technical committee of Princewaleans
was formed to prepare a plan for implementing the project. Members of
this committee include, Denzil Georgestone, Ibrahim Huballah, Daniel
Ademu-John, and Samuel Atere-Roberts (project manager).
Where did you obtain the training and skills qualifying you to undertake this project?
I received a B.Sc. in civil engineering from the Ahmadu Bello
University, Zaria, Nigeria, in 1982 and an M.S. in environmental health
engineering from the University of Texas, Austin, in 1988. Although I
am a consultant primarily working on the design and construction of
water, wastewater, and solid waste facilities, for utilities and
counties in the U.S., I have always been interested in renewable energy
and that led me to research the use of solar energy for developing
countries like Sierra Leone. I developed the preliminary design for the
P.O.W. project followed by procurement of equipment for the project.
How much did the project cost, how was it financed, and what were the challenges and objectives?
The cost is approximately $60,000 for the purchase and installation
of all equipment including solar and computers and operational cost for
one year. Operations cost is estimated to run between $700 and $800
monthly for the I.T. teacher, Internet service, security, insurance,
and miscellaneous expenses. We raised funds from members, other
Princewaleans, and supporters of the Prince of Wales School all over
the world. We used an e-mail fund raising strategy to raise the funds
for the project. And also used funds previously raised from our yearly
thanksgiving services from all our chapters.
Why is the project personally near and dear to your heart?
The Prince of Wales School provided the foundation for me and other
Princewaleans all over the World. The successes we have achieved in our
careers could not have been possible without the foundation we received
at the P.O.W. School. This project, and others that we will embark on
in the future, is our own small way of giving back to our alma mater.
How will this project help bridge the technology gap between the West and Sierra Leone?
Having Internet access opens the world to students in Sierra Leone.
They will be able to find any information they need to access to
enhance their knowledge, while attending the P.O.W. School. With the
advent of long distance learning through online classes, they will be
able to take classes that are not even available at the P.O.W. School,
so long as they can pay the fees.
What is your area of specialty, and what other ways will Sierra Leone benefit from your expertise?
As I mentioned earlier, I am in the water, wastewater, sanitation,
and solid waste business; and I have written extensively on water and
sanitation issues affecting Sierra Leone, and recommended solutions to
address some of them.
Are there other projects probably in the works?
Yes, there are projects being considered. However, our current focus
is on how to sustain the new solar powered computer center for the next
year—for the school to develop a cost recovery model that will require
students to pay for classes and Internet browsing at the computer
center.
How will you assess the present academic standard of both the teaching staff and the students?
Since I focused exclusively on completing the project while I was in
Freetown for 10 days, I did not find time to explore the current cadre
of teachers at the school or the school's recent examination results.
However, I am very confident about the professionalism of the teachers
that we have. I believe that this project will go a long way to improve
the I.T. capabilities of both the teachers and the students, which will
eventually reflect in improved results in the examinations the students
take before graduating.
What message would you like to send to alumni of other schools or institutions of higher learning?
My message for the alumni of other schools is for them to continue
to support their alma mater in any way possible. Since our government
gets 60 percent of its operating budget from donors, any help we give
to our schools is indirectly helping the government of Sierra Leone as
they gradually move toward creating the revenues for them to be
self-sufficient.
People 
Samuel Atere-Roberts is the president of the Prince of Wales Alumni
Association (P.O.W.A.A.), Georgia Chapter, in the United States. On
June 10, he participated as project manager in the commissioning of the
solar powered computer center at his alma mater, the Prince of Wales
School at Kingtom, in Freetown, Sierra Leone.
As a professional engineer and then the vice president of the Prince
of Wales Alumni Association, Georgia Chapter, I reviewed the document
and developed a project to address the computer center needs of the
school. In August 2006, I presented a proposal to the P.O.W.A.A.
Georgia members, to raise funds to implement a project and create a new
computer center powered by solar energy. I estimated that the capital
cost would be between $60,000 and $70,000. The Georgia Chapter accepted
the proposal and committed to an initial funding of $25,000 to this
project. I also made presentations to the other Prince of Wales Alumni
Chapters, including Maryland and Washington, D.C., New Jersey and
California, and the United Kingdom and Ireland. All Chapters gave their
total support to the project.
