“I can now find a way to feed myself and my family.”
In a bustling market just outside of Freetown, Sierra Leone’s capital city, a young entrepreneur blasts music out of big speakers in his shop.
“They hear sweet songs playing.”
Alusine runs what he describes as an electronics shop and uses a playlist of Nigerian, American and Sierra Leonean beats to entice his customers.
Alusine, a graduate of Restless’ Business Development School (BDS), had little experience of business before training with Restless Development.
“I trained and there is [now] a great change in my life. Before I did not know how to develop a business on my own. I can now find a way to feed myself and my family.”
Using skills he learned in computer literacy, financial management and record keeping, he now runs his own business, charging phones and batteries, selling music downloads and providing other internet services.
Record keeping was one of the most important lessons for Alusine. Before getting training from BDS and starting his own business, Alusine helped his mother run a sugar business. But poor record keeping meant bags of sugar were lost and outstanding payments from customers were missed. The business began to fail.
The training Alusine received at BDS helped him avoid the same mistakes with his new business.
“[The training] is paying a huge dividend, it’s creating a big impact in my life. With the skills I’ve learned, I’m confident to manage any amount of money.”
Alusine, now 26, is studying for a degree in Business and Management and paying for his fees with the profit from his business. His business is going strong.
“One major role we [young people] have to play is how best to rally friends to go to the BDS centre and access these [business] programmes.”
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