The Under Thirty CEOs in Africa group has assembled and trained young entrepreneurs in Freetown with the hope of providing them better networking opportunity and entrepreneurial skills. According to the Executive Director of Under Thirty CEOs in Africa, Noel Newman, they are providing networking opportunities for young entrepreneurs and CEOs to develop their businesses. Newman said they are trying to connect entrepreneurs with investors so as to find sponsorships to boost their businesses.
The young and exuberant entrepreneurs were taught the basics in entrepreneurship, and how they can use the acquired skills to make their businesses productive. He said entrepreneurship is a new phenomenon in the country, and has been creating jobs for hundreds of people. The Executive Director maintained that entrepreneurship has grown over the years due to lack of employment opportunities in the country, adding the sector deserves a lot of attention.
One of the facilitators, Patricia Janga said entrepreneurship is gradually taking a new dimension in Sierra Leone. “Every big business today started from a small business,” she stressed, and underscored that of late there is an increase of young people in the sector, which she described as a good thing for Sierra Leone’s development. One of the training participants, the CEO of Global Multimedia TV, Idrissa Gerry said, “I have benefited a lot from this engagement. Most of the things I was yarning to learn have come to pass, by understanding leadership skills and management proper.”
He said he is now in a better position to distinguish between administration and management, stressing that he now knows how to do his management, marketing and public relations.
By Mohamed J. Bah