Pursue innovation and build brands to grow Sierra Leone’s economy, expert advises at Salone CEOs Meet

News & Announcements by admin on December 7, 2021 add comment 727 views

Sierra Leone’s business, government, and economy leaders should walk confidently into 2022 and pursue innovation to drive economic growth; a Nigerian communication expert ChidoNwakanma counseled on Thursday at the Salone CEO’s Meet powered by La Fete Communications. Nwakanma urged the leaders in the private and public sectors to build on the strengths of Sierra Leone and tap the opportunities in historical presentation, education, tourism, the extractive industry, and the environment. Participants at the forum, leaders across sectors, agreed on the imperatives of innovation and entrepreneurship and exploring the country’s opportunities more closely.

Noting that Sierra Leone’s relatively compact population and environmental serenity, Nwakanma submitted that the country has yet to leverage the history of Fourah Bay College as the first university-level institution in Africa. He noted, “Africa longs for higher education. They go to institutions with history and tradition. What is holding back Fourah Bay College, Africa’s higher education institution in modern times?”Nwakanma is the president of the Nigerian chapter of theInternational Association of Business Communicators (IABC) and a former president of the Public Relations ConsultantsAssociation of Nigeria. He is also on the Adjunct Faculty of the school of Media & Communication, Pan Atlantic University Lagos, Nigeria. Nwakanma asserted that Sierra Leone should market its rich environmental and tourist potentials as neighboring Ghana and the Gambia.

On tourism and the environment, Nwakanma shared his experience from 1 December 2021. “I took shots from my room at the Sierra Bay Hotel & Residence and sent them to friends back in Nigeria and across the world. The immediate response?”Wonderful. I love this. How much would it cost a family? Another person responded with the observation, “Is the water that blue? There is still hope for our environment.’The speaker submitted, “Sierra Leone should leverage history and nature for tourism. Ghana and the Gambia are doing so already.” Significantly, Mr. Nwakanma harped on the imperative of innovation and entrepreneurship as needed ingredients for success in 2022. He noted that most experts agree that the Sierra Leone economy would witness “strong real GDP growth of4.8% in 2022, well above the Sub-Saharan Africa average of3.7%”.He said it was up to leaders and entrepreneurs to make this happen and even exceed the expectations. “The critical question for entrepreneurs today in Sierra Leone and the rest of WestAfrica is one of vision. What can you see? Put another way, what can you envision even if it is not visible now?” Nwakanma asserted that innovation, the entrepreneurial art of seeking and developing new vistas, is the challenge before SierraLeone and its leaders and the rest of Africa. He a@irmed, “Economists and global strategists say Sierra Leone should have a smoother ride in 2022 than in the last two years. The economic fundamentals should be good. That means the internal market will also get better and open. There are also opportunities in the larger West African and African market.”La Fete Communications organized the Salone CEOs Meet 2021following the first one in 2019. COVID19 aborted the event in 2020.
The conveners of the event Ms. Maraya Mushka Conteh and Mr. Kennedy Chinedum Okezie said the Salone CEO’s Meet is a platform for exploring ideas and strategies for the country’s development.