Insight

23/08/2024

SUPPORTING POULTRY FARMERS IN SIERRA

Please read Invest Salone's response to Mr Sahr Lahai Jusu’s opinion piece (published in Global Times Newspaper Online) on the need for Feed Salone to promote local poultry farmers. Invest Salone draws on its work with the poultry sector in Sierra Leone to highlight challenges with essential inputs such as poultry feed, day-old chicks and veterinarian services, and suggests supporting the sector through stronger government services, a more business enabling environment and a concerted push to attract large scale poultry investments into the country, who would help build up the industry.

19/08/2024

SIERRA LEONE'S LANDMARK LOCAL CURRENCY BOND

Sierra Leone achieves milestone with first local currency corporate bond - approved by BSL - valued at 1.4 million dollars, signalling a significant development in the country's capital market.

The successful issuance by LAPO Sierra Leone, opens up opportunities for local corporates to access capital, attract diverse investors, and paves the way for similar bond issuances.

The bond was arranged by United Capital Plc, a leading pan-African investment banking firm, and by Pennarth Greene, a Sierra Leonean-based corporate finance advisory firm, with support from Invest Salone through its PROSPER Salone grant scheme. It raised SLE32 million (approx. US$1.4 million) for LAPO Microfinance Company, which provides financial services to micro, small and medium enterprises in Sierra Leone. Notably, 99% of LAPO’s clients are female, and the bond proceeds will expand LAPO’s loan portfolio and branch network.

Sierra Leone has recorded its first local currency corporate bond valued at approximately 1.4 million dollars. How much impact will this have on the country’s capital market?

20/03/2024

The tech sector is growing faster in Africa than any other region. The Digital Her Conference (21 March 2024) asks how can we ensure Sierra Leonean women share fully in the opportunities facilitated by the digital economy as creators, consumers and beneficiaries?

Sierra Leone is on the brink of a transformative digital explosion with the potential to enhance financial inclusion, access to information and services, job creation and economic growth. But, as digital technology becomes ever more integrated into everyday Sierra Leonean life, a growing digital gender divide means that women are in danger of missing out on many of these opportunities unless we act now.

Africa's tech sector is growing exponentially. Digital Her (21 March) asks how can Sierra Leonean women share in these digital opportunities

22/01/2024

Rise Radio is the result Asmaa James's passion for talk radio and her determination to give women and young people more of a voice in the mainstream media.

22/01/2024

Sierra Leone’s Rise Radio is the result Asmaa James’s commitment to talk radio and her determination to give women and young Sierra Leoneans more of a voice in the mainstream media.

She describes radio as her passion, and anyone who has followed her professional journey can attest to the truth of that statement. A Mandela Washington Fellow, she was recognised by the Independent Media Commission as the most outstanding female journalist in Sierra Leone and in 2019 the BBC named her one of the 100 most influential women in the world. Throughout it all, she has remained faithful to her first love – talk radio.

Rise Radio is the result Asmaa James's passion for talk radio and her determination to give women and young people more of a voice in the mainstream media.

22/06/2023

With only two days to go until polling day, a unique citizen-led independent opinion poll of almost 7,000 potential voters nationwide shows that almost one-third of voters are staying tight-lipped about their voting intentions, and suggests that a run-off between the incumbent, President Maada Bio and his main challenger, Dr Samura Kamara – is still possible.

The Sierra Leone 2023 Elections Opinion Poll was designed and implemented by Meraki Analytics SL Limited in collaboration with consortium partners– Data Mansah and SierraEye Magazine.

Despite challenges, including being prevented by community leaders from conducting interviews in several locations, it is the largest national survey of registered voters in Sierra Leone.

SIERRA LEONE’S LARGEST INDEPENDENT OPINION POLL PREDICTS HUGE VOTER TURN OUT & SAYS A RUN-OFF COULD STILL BE ON THE CARDS

19/06/2023

Stakeholders from Sierra Leone’s entrepreneurial ecosystem attended an investment-focused event to launch a toolkit to support SMEs in Sierra Leone.

16/12/2022

Following initial assessments conducted earlier this summer, small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs), who will be receiving support under Invest Salone’s technical assistance facility (TAF), gathered in Freetown on 8 December 2022 for an orientation session to learn more about the process and it...

22/08/2022

DAR LEONE - BEAUTIFUL HOMEWARE THAT EVOKES SIERRA LEONE'S CREATIVE HERITAGE

On a small side street in London’s fashionable Islington, Dar Leone stands out among its more muted neighbours, exuding energy with its range of African inspired homeware and soft furnishings in bold and unexpected colours. The brainchild of Freetown-born, lawyer turned designer Isata Funna, Dar Leone stocks an original range of contemporary home accessories, that re-imagine traditional African artisanship.

Dar Leone stocks an original range of contemporary home accessories, that re-imagine traditional Sierra Leonean artisanship.

25/06/2022

"An innovative culture looks for new ways to deal with its problems and puts collaboration at the heart of the process. Congratulations to the Bo Innovation Hub for creating the space to do both."

Invest Salone's Chukwu-Emeka Chikezie at the launch of the Bo Innovation Hub this weekend.

23/06/2022

Economy grew by 3.1 % in 2021, after shrinking by 2.0 % in 2020. Agriculture contributed nearly half of the total growth during 2021.

30/05/2022

Want to know more about what Invest Salone does?

Check out our Invest Salone Overview to find out how we work with businesses, investors and buyers, and government and civil society organisations to facilitate inclusive economic growth 👉 https://bit.ly/3sLSpcy

07/02/2022

COMMUNICATIONS IN SIERRA LEONE - STRATEGIES, TACTICS, EX*****ON AND IMPACT

We are publishing a series of case studies on previous work of Insight Media and Communications. These:

1. Identify the challenge a particular client faced
2. Describe the solution we provided
3. Illustrate the measurable results gained

This is the second in the series.

We hope you find it useful and informative.

Thank you for watching.

07/02/2022

COMMUNICATIONS IN SIERRA LEONE - STRATEGIES, TACTICS, EX*****ON AND IMPACT

We are publishing a series of case studies on the work of Insight Media and Communications. These:

1. Identify the challenge a particular client faced
2. Describe the solution we provided
3. Illustrate the measurable results gained

For more information, please visit us @ www.insightmag.news

04/01/2022

READ - FROM DEMOCRACY TO GOOD AND INCLUSIVE GOVERNANCE - 5 LESSONS IN LEADERSHIP FOR YOUNG AFRICA BY DR MOHAMED JULDEH JALLOH, VICE PRESIDENT, SIERRA LEONE

So much is expected of Africa’s next generation of leaders. They require the passion and vision to shape the future, the patience and wisdom to learn from the experiences of past African leaders, as well as the skills to build on the democratic and governance gains achieved in earlier years.

I am a child of the 70s, when Africa was hailed as the promised land, and the principles of great leaders like Ghana’s Kwame Nkrumah, who taught that Africans needed to rediscover the dignity that was lost as a result of slavery and colonialism, encouraged countries to believe in the possibility of a united Africa. The 80s, characterised by dictatorship, one-party rule and civil war, heralded the collapse of this vision. This was an Africa where there was no place for women in governance, where there was a lack of respect for human rights and for the law, where it was easier for our people to find soft drinks than safe drinking water.

By 1991, change was in the air. Nelson Mandela’s freedom had brought new hope and a wave of democratisation. We talked of rebuilding Africa and as a student activist and journalist at the University of Sierra Leone, I worked with other young civil society activists to challenge our government’s record of governance. Periods of study in Nigeria and France followed, after which I was recruited by the United Nations and went on to work in Kosovo, South Africa and Senegal, Guinea Liberia and Guinea Bissau.

I believe my experience from various roles across different political landscapes and issues has enriched my perspective on leadership in Africa, and shaped my understanding of the importance of leadership to good governance. So too has my experience on both sides of the governance spectrum – as someone outside government responsible for holding governments to account, and now as a decision-maker within government, accountable to the general public.

In the process I have learned five essential lessons about the role of authentic leadership in building democratic nations, and it is these that I share here.

So much is expected of Africa’s next generation of leaders. They require the passion and vision to shape the future, the patience and wisdom to learn from the experiences of past African leaders, as well as the skills to build on the democratic and governance gains achieved in earlier years.

04/08/2021

New business & economics news network from SLAJ & SLRU will boost independent news production on business & economics in Sierra Leone.

04/08/2021

PRESS RELEASE
SLAJ Launches Professional Network to Support Independent
Reporting on Business and Economic Issues
Freetown | 4th August 2021
A new professional network launches today (4th August 2021), by the Sierra Leone Association of Journalists (SLAJ) with the Sierra Leone Reporters Union (SLRU) as an implementing partner, aiming to boost independent news production on business, financial and economic issues in Sierra Leone, by bringing journalists, business people and economists together to share ideas, build expertise and create opportunities for collaboration.
With facilitation by Invest Salone, the UK-Government funded private-sector development initiative, the Business and Economics Network was born out of an interactive dialogue, held in March this year, between the media and the business community, where participants agreed there was a substantial unmet demand for better business and economics reporting in Sierra Leone.
Ahmed Sahid Nasralla, President of SLAJ says that although this area of journalism is essential so that everybody can understand the implications these forces have on our day to day lives, the March dialogue highlighted the challenges journalists face: “The media in Sierra Leone have an important role to play in Sierra Leone’s economic progress, by encouraging dialogue through accurate and timely information on business and economic issues; but there’s a skills gap in the journalism profession and a trust gap between the media and business sectors. These impede good reporting. The SLAJ Business and Economics Network is intended to help provide solutions, by creating a space where journalists and business professionals can learn from each other, share information and explore common ground.”
Amadu Lamrana Bah, President of SLRU and winner of the SLAJ award for best economic reporting in 2018, said: “Good journalism should bring business and economics to life, making stories about these subjects interesting and relevant to all audiences, not just specialists. We look forward to building the network so that it represents one of the most dynamic and exciting fields in journalism in Sierra Leone.”
Membership of the new SLAJ Business and Economics Network is free and open to practising and aspiring journalists, as well as other professions with a genuine interest in collaborating to contribute to a more inclusive economy through improved economic and business reporting in Sierra Leone. Membership benefits are designed to create opportunities for professional learning and recognition, career development, and knowledge sharing, as well as networking and mentoring.
Invest Salone Team Leader, Chukwu-Emeka Chikezie said: “Invest Salone works with the public and private sectors to identify, design, and implement reforms that will reduce the costs and risks of doing business in Sierra Leone. An independent and vibrant press widens the scope for the expression of opinions and ideas outside the government which can help improve policymaking and accountable governance, and enable persuasive advocacy on business issues – all of which would contribute to creating a more enabling business environment and ultimately foster conditions for more inclusive growth, jobs and higher incomes for more Sierra Leoneans.”
SLAJ and SLRU welcome expressions of interest from journalists stating their name, address, email, and telephone number, with a brief description of areas of interest and professional background.
For further information or to submit your expression of interest, contact [email protected] or [email protected]
Signed:
Mohamed Asmieu Bah
National Secretary-General