Ideas, news and notes from the ground.

SaloneExplorer, TpHospitality, TpEHealth and TpERP are built for Sierra Leone and African markets.

Eco-homes, One Rice dining and island trips, a short boat ride from Banana Island.

Local soil, less cement and cooler rooms: the case for alternative building technology.

The 2026 heritage journey for the Gullah Geechee and African diaspora runs from 13 to 23 November.

Five questions that separate a system you will use from one you will work around.

When the diaspora comes home, the benefits reach far beyond hotels.

Shade, cross-ventilation and thick walls do most of the work.

Ethical AI in low-income countries depends on data quality and diversity. Learn how to bridge the global AI gap and ensure fairness for all.

In countries like Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ghana, and Kenya, many government and NGO staff use Gmail, Yahoo, and Hotmail for official business. Learn why this happens, the risks to security and transparency, and practical solutions for organizations.

“I felt safe and secure throughout my stay—during the day, at night, and every moment. The staff were friendly, accommodating, intelligent, focused, and happy. They were always willing and ready to help me. The water supply was excellent, and was always available. Thank you for everything, and I am glad I stayed with you. I…

We are writing this article to address the increasing number of scams and hacking incidents affecting Sierra Leoneans and others, as observed in WhatsApp groups today, October 15, 2024. For instance, one individual fell victim to a $2,500 scam, while several others had their accounts hacked and remained locked out for hours. Some are still…

Experience luxury and sustainability in this stunning 3-bedroom eco-home in Sierra Leone. Powered by solar energy and built with eco-friendly Hydraform blocks, this peaceful retreat offers modern comfort near the historical Banana Islands. Book your stay or make it your permanent home today!

Construction work at Eco-living Oasis Kent is moving swiftly and according to schedule! The vision of creating a serene vacation community is becoming a reality, with significant developments happening across multiple fronts. As we prepare for our first guests for the upcoming season, here’s a quick update on the exciting progress. Landscaping and Gardening: Nature…

Back to the basics. It’s block production time again at TpESTATE. These are the blocks we use to build the homes at The Eco-Living Oasis at Kent, Sierra Leone Our homes are built using the Hydraform Building Technology based on the Hydraform Interlocking Stabilized Soil Blocks. The Technology replaces regular masonry units and mortar with…

“Thatch has been used as a roof covering for millennia, and was the dominant material across much of the UK and Europe up to the late 19th century”. As a result we will experiment using it with the modern design twists. This is how it will look like with Thatch roofing.

We are exploring options to build small sustainable tiny homes in Sierra Leone. We have selected an Aframe house for our first experiment. These are the designs so far for a modern Aframe house. This experimental home will be build The Eco-Living Oasis at Kent, Sierra Leone sometime between December 2023 and April 2024 and…

Example finishing options showing a mixture of block and plastered walls. We like to do this to show a clear contrast between the traditional brick look and feel and the smooth modern plastered walls. Simple and minimalist bathroom designs like this are also beautify and affordable. What do you think?

Building a home with interlocking stabilized soil blocks (ISSB) like the Hydraform blocks we manufacture offers several advantages, including cost-effectiveness, eco-friendliness, high thermal performance, durability, and community empowerment. Cost-effective: Interlocking stabilized soil blocks (ISSBs) are made from locally available materials, such as soil, sand, and cement, which can significantly reduce construction costs. ISSBs eliminate the…

First, both of them are construction materials made from natural soil. Usually sandy-loam soil – a type of soil that contains a mixture of sand, silt, and clay particles. Both are compressed using a manual press or a hydraulic press like the Hydraform machine. However, Unstabilized earth blocks and stabilized earth blocks differ in terms…

Touchpoint Group HQ is open for business. It’s a work in progress but already looking beautiful and timeless. TpESTATE is part of a group of companies operating in Sierra Leone and United States. Tpisent is the ICT company. Fambul Tik is the heritage tourism company. Kent Eco-Friendly Vacation Community is our first sustainable gated vacation…

TpESTATE is a real estate property developer, eco-friendly builder and Hydraform Building System Expert In Sierra Leone. We will discuss real estate development, investment opportunities, and market trends. Answer any questions related to Real Estate in Sierra Leone. You can learn more about our company at https://tpestate.com. Note that this is the first of…

TpESTATE Developers is a leading civil engineering, real estate owner, real estate developer, and real estate property management company based in Freetown, Sierra Leone. We specialize in designing and building residential and commercial real estate properties using Hydraform’s Interlocking Stabilized Soil Blocks (ISSBs) also known as Interlocking Compressed Earth Blocks (ICEBs) that are made from compressed mixed soil, water, Portland cement,…

Two of these natural materials are readily available in Sierra Leone. Fine homes have always made use of natural materials. But these days you can find many products and techniques incorporating tried and true materials in surprising ways. Many of these techniques were used historically and are making a come back. These natural materials appeared in…

This article was originally published by Senseware on their website Many organizations are recognizing the value of sustainable and green building methods. New advances in materials, technology and practices enable companies to use environmentally friendly processes that also lead to better overall efficiency. Here are the top 10 sustainable building methods currently in use or under…

TpEstate is a real estate development company and manufacturer of eco-friendly Hydroform blocks. Over the past 1 year, the company has embarked on Hydroform brick production and estate development. The CEO of TpEstate Mr Tamba Lamin said the company is set to provide real housing solutions for people with low budgets, but need durable and…

Tamba Lamin has founded two businesses in Sierra Leone while in the US. He is the CEO of TpISENT an information technology company with headquarters in Freetown. His latest venture TpEstate (which employs 30 full-time employees) builds uses Hydrafoam interlocking technology to build eco-friendly detached, semi-detached, and terrace homes in Sierra Leone. Dr. Fouad Sheriff was inspired to launch…

By ophaniel.gooding@awokonewspaper.sl SIERRA LEONE, Freetown: Modern cities have eco-infrastructures, landscaping, and city planning. However, Freetown city which was planned in the nineteenth century fell short of these requirements. The desire to acquire a home, as well as the frenzy of land grabbing, has left the formerly lush green peninsular desolate and grey. This development is the result…

Day 35 of 35. The house is 85% complete. The rest of the finishing work will continue and the house will be ready for use by potential clients behind February. Why should you care? This confirms our company can build a 1500 square feet house within 90 days and deliver it fully furnished within 120…

Day 19 of 35 photos. The team is working 16hrs per day to meet the deadline of building a three bedroom house in 35 days

For the past two decades Tamba, an experienced and versatile ICT expert has deployed solutions as a Management Consultant, Technology Architect, Systems Engineer, Manager, and Developer for United States Federal Government Agencies, New York State Office of Information Technology, New York City Department of Education, IBM, Pfizer, Johnson and Johnson, Novartis, Autodesk, Google, and Facebook.…

According to the United Nations (UN) “Education enables upward socioeconomic mobility and is a key to escaping poverty.” It should be no surprise then that one of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is dedicated to education. SDG 4 is “to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all…” But in…

TpISENT launches a new platform (https://tplearn.edu.sl) on Wednesday to help students in Sierra Leone obtain better passing scores in national and regional exams. Trained, experienced and qualified teachers develop and validate content. The tool will improve online teaching and learning in the post-COVID-19 era In recent years, the country has made gains in student enrollment, but the…

OBizR is a location-based local business review, travel guide, and citizen-generated open data platform for Africa. “OBizR Sierra Leone” is the local guide to finding the best places to eat, shop, sleep, bank, drink, learn, exercise, relax, watch a game, buy medication, do business with the government, NGOs, and Foreign Missions in Sierra Leone. On…

At present Sierra Leone is moving to reform its educational system to improve on student performance in public examinations, raise computer literacy beyond the current 2% and incorporate ICT courses at the tertiary level to meet the 21st Century workplace demand. The country’s education ministry and non-governmental organisations/institutions would like to see the establishment of computer labs in…

An idea to deploy hundreds of low-cost energy-efficient computers in every chiefdom, every district, in the country emanating from the mind of Tamba Lamin In January, 2012, in a typically Sierra Leonean Satan-stamping-Jesus-lifting speaking-in-tongues fiery interdenominational Christian service at the Miatta Conference Center in Freetown,  to end the week long Presidential-declared  Fasting and Prayer Week,…

I congratulate the Government of Sierra Leone for taking the bold step of creating websites for almost all Government Ministries, Institutions, Secretariats and Commissions. Some of us living in the Diaspora and at home have long been waiting to see it happen. I can now proudly talk more about Sierra Leone to strangers and refer…