In a new opinion piece, Chukwu-Emeka Chikezie, Invest Salone’s Team Leader, sets out an immediately actionable strategy for achieving inclusive private sector development in Sierra Leone. He states that the first step is better coordination between the Government, international development partners and the private sector.
Chikezie’s piece, “The 7Cs of private sector-led inclusive growth in Sierra Leone”, was published by Sierra Eye – Sierra Leone’s leading political and cultural analysis magazine. The article was prompted by his participation as the panel discussant in the final Ministerial Development Partnership Committee meeting of 2022, which focussed on managing and growing the national economy to lift more Sierra Leoneans out of poverty.
The strategy outlined is organised around 7Cs: context, coordination, collective action, coalitions, capital, constraints and conversation. Concrete suggestions for change include:
- improving development partner coordination around private sector development with a youth action working group,
- supporting the Sierra Leone Chamber of Commerce’s call for a restructured Council that accommodates Business Membership Organisations as members (in addition to individuals),
- a membership-based coalition of responsible businesses in Sierra Leone. This would give a collective voice to businesses committed to good corporate citizenship. It would offer members fast-track customs clearance, business approvals, court hearings and preferential procurement from international development partners.
Chikezie concludes by summarising the 7Cs with one final C – change for the better – “We can and must create new norms, new expectations and a new imagination about what’s possible for Sierra Leoneans. We’re all in this together, and it’s up to us to drive the change we want to see”.
