(Freetown, Sierra Leone) Executive Director Pamela Coke-Hamilton delivered her welcome remarks at the launch of the READY Salone project.
His Excellency, President Julius Maada Wonie Bio, Republic of Sierra Leone; Honorable Dr. David Moinina Sengeh, Chief Minister, Republic of Sierra Leone; Honorable Mr. Mohamed Bangura, Minister of Youth Affairs, Republic of Sierra Leone; Honorable Ms. Salima Monorma Bah, Minister of Communication, Technology, and Innovation, Republic of Sierra Leone; Honorable Mr. Ibrahim Alpha Sesay, Minister of Trade and Industry, Republic of Sierra Leone; Mr. Son Sungil, Country Director, KOICA Nigeria Office, Korea International Cooperation Agency; Ms. Seraphine Wakana, United Nations Resident Coordinator, Sierra Leone; distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, all protocols observed.
Good morning and thank you for the warm welcome.
I am honoured and grateful to be with you in Freetown as we celebrate the opening of a new chapter in our work together.
This is my first visit to Sierra Leone, and I truly hope that it will be one of many.
I would like to thank the government of Sierra Leone for hosting us this morning and for their close collaboration throughout the years, as well as the Korea International Cooperation Agency for their support and trust in making the READY Salone project possible.
Today, as we stand within the walls of the Foreign Service Academy, where future leaders are learning the fine art of diplomacy, it seems all the more fitting that we are here to launch a project supporting yet another group of future leaders: Sierra Leone’s youth.
Now READY Salone, as we all know, has a clear aim.
It aims to make it possible for more young people to use digital technologies to grow their businesses, pursue entrepreneurship, create jobs, and improve social inclusion.
But it’s also about so much more.
It’s about fuelling that creative spark that drives so many entrepreneurs and small business leaders to make something new—providing goods and services that help transform their communities, their country, and perhaps even the world.
It’s about showcasing globally more of the many technological innovations that Sierra Leone has on offer—innovations that are already inspiring major new initiatives, from the development of Fɛlei TechCity to the hosting of the West Africa Startup World Cup this April.
It’s about empowering the youth of Sierra Leone to expand and reshape the boundaries of what’s possible, both within the ever-changing digital realm and within daily life.
In other words, it’s about changing the game and ushering in a more digitally inclusive society—inspired by that same spirit of the “Big Five Game Changers” of the Medium-Term National Development Plan 2024-2030 launched by President Julius Maada Wonie Bio last year.
Over the coming years, young business leaders in the READY Salone project will have the chance to network with prospective investors and partners within the African continent and in South Korea.
The chance to access training and coaching that meets their business needs and helps deliver on their business dreams, as they master skills that range from digital literacy to social commerce.
The chance to work with business support organizations, incubators, and tech hubs that will be even better-equipped to help these SMEs meet their digital goals, and exceed them.
And the chance to share their stories online and inspire others to explore what digital technologies might have to offer them—including those youth entrepreneurs that will be part of the Sierra Leone Ye! Chapter.
We cannot wait to welcome the first cohort of youth-led startups under READY Salone. From what we’re already seeing from the applications so far, it’s going to be a very impressive group.
And it’s one where I hope to see many women and persons with disabilities taking part, along with SMEs who are creating solutions to some of Sierra Leone’s most important environmental needs.
We are grateful to be doing this work in close cooperation with local government partners like the Ministry of Youth Affairs, the Ministry of Communication, Technology and Innovation, and the Ministry of Trade and Industry; local BSOs, civil society groups, and private sector organizations; and international partners like KOICA.
And we are fortunate at ITC to have a long history of working in Sierra Leone, with nearly 40 years’ worth of projects on the ground.
What we have seen, time and time again, is that when Sierra Leone’s SMEs are able to grow, compete, and trade—whether in extant sectors like agriculture or newer sectors like the digital economy—then achieving the country’s sustainable development aims is not far behind.
We’ve seen this in action in our work across a host of agricultural value chains, such as when we trained extension service staff at major cashew exporters on what producers needed most, particularly women.
We’ve heard it from the BSOs who have attended some of our export masterclasses, and who today are hard at work at ensuring more of Sierra Leone’s SMEs can sell goods and services abroad under the AfCFTA.
We’ve witnessed it during study tours where Sierra Leonean officials have met with their counterparts in Ghana to talk about what it looks like to implement the AfCFTA in practice—lessons that can benefit Sierra Leone as it takes part in the second phase of the Guided Trade Initiative.
That’s what we at ITC are committed to supporting as Sierra Leone continues on the road to becoming a middle-income economy and achieving its sustainable development objectives.
And we look forward to building on our history here not just through READY Salone, but through projects such as the West African Competitiveness Programme, the ECOWAS Agricultural Trade Programme, the African Trade Observatory, the One Trade Africa Initiative, and the Africa Trade Competitiveness and Market Access work.
It’s an exciting prospect—and I know that I, for one, cannot wait to see how this journey unfolds.
Thank you all.
