Kelvin Doe
Kelvin Doe (born October 26, 1996, in Freetown, Sierra Leone), also known as DJ Focus, is a Sierra Leonean engineer.
![](../I/Kelvin_Doe.jpg.webp)
Career
He is known for teaching himself engineering at the age of 12 and building his own radio station in Sierra Leone, where he plays music and broadcasts news under the name "DJ Focus." He was one of the finalists in GMin's Innovate Salone idea competition, in which Doe built a generator from scrap metals. Doe would constantly use discarded pieces of scrap electronics to build transmitters, generators, and batteries.[1][2]
As a result of his accomplishment, he received an invitation to the United States and subsequently became the youngest person to participate in the "Visiting Practitioner's Program" at MIT.[3][4][5]
Doe subsequently was a speaker at TEDxTeen[6] and lectured to undergraduate engineering students at Harvard College.[7] In May 2013, Doe signed a $100,000 solar project pact with Canadian High-Speed Service Provider Sierra WiFi.[8]
He has had the chance to meet various leaders of the world including former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and Ghanaian President Nana Akufo-Addo. He has also been able to speak to young people in Africa on different platforms. In 2016, Kelvin Doe became an Honorary Board member of Emergency USA, an organization with a mission to provide free medical and surgical care to war victims and poverty victims.
Doe now owns and runs his own company K-Doe Tech, Inc, where he designs and sells consumer electronics.[9]
Recognition
His accomplishments were documented by RadicalMedia and presented on their corporate YouTube channel. When the video went viral, the story was picked up by CNN, NBC News, and The Huffington Post.[5][10][11] Today, Doe is claimed to be a young African inventor.[12]
References
- Hudson, Hayley (19 November 2012). "Kelvin Doe, Self-Taught Engineering Whiz From Sierra Leone, Wows MIT Experts (VIDEO)". Huffington Post. Retrieved 3 April 2015.
- Nitin Dahad (September 12, 2013). "Africa tech hub promotes tech innovation". The Next Silicon Valley. Archived from the original on October 19, 2014. Retrieved September 25, 2013.
- GMin. "Creating Local FM Radio Stations - Finalists 2012 - Innovate Salone". GMin. Archived from the original on July 23, 2013. Retrieved January 15, 2013.
- Lauren Landry (November 20, 2012). "15-Year-Old, Self-Taught Engineer Wows the MIT Media Lab [Video]". BostInno. Retrieved November 21, 2012.
- David Sengeh (November 14, 2012). "DIY Africa: Empowering a new Sierra Leone". CNN. Archived from the original on November 20, 2012. Retrieved November 21, 2012.
- Manley, Lynne. "Milton High School TEDx Classroom Project". Archived from the original on 9 November 2013. Retrieved 9 November 2013.
- "Kelvin Doe". TedxTeen. Archived from the original on March 8, 2013. Retrieved September 25, 2013.
- Elkass I.L. Sannoh (May 30, 2013). "After Signing USD100, 000 Solar Project Pact…16 year-old Kelvin Doe aims to be like French Physicist". Africa Young Voices. Archived from the original on September 25, 2013. Retrieved September 25, 2013.
- "At Age 11, He Built His Own Radio Station -- But Now, He's the CEO of His Own Tech Company". Retrieved 2021-07-29.
- John Roach (November 20, 2012). "Whiz kid from Sierra Leone built own battery, radio transmitter". FutureTech. NBC. Retrieved November 21, 2012.
- Hayley Hudson (November 19, 2012). "Kelvin Doe, Self-Taught Engineering Whiz From Sierra Leone, Wows MIT Experts (VIDEO)". The Huffington Post. Retrieved November 21, 2012.
- Timilehin (2016-12-20). "Young African Inventors Bringing Renaissance to the Continent". WiredBugs. Retrieved 2017-03-23.