The Freetown Business School was founded in February 2017 by three senior Sierra Leonean Professionals, Christine Sesay, Alfred Akibo-Betts and Violet Asgill; whose educational background and training are a combination of pre- civil war Sierra Leone educational system and international training. Together we have over 40 years’ experience of working in the Private and Public Sectors in Sierra Leone, the United Kingdom (UK), and other parts of the world. We have held and worked in a number of high profile jobs and projects in Sierra Leone. Our experiences combined with research has demonstrated to us that one of the major difficulties organisations face in Sierra Leone today is the lack of trained and experienced people resources who have sufficient experience and exposure to develop organisations effectively, and successfully implement change to meet the growing global demands.

As Sierra Leonean Professionals, we believe that with the right training, exposure and opportunity to network, Sierra Leonean Professionals and Entrepreneurs can be a very powerful force in the development of our economy and in effect our country.

Our research shows that most organisations provide some form of training to their staff. It also shows that most Training, Learning and Development activities are not planned and therefore produces very little results. In addition, the lack of effective management structures and little or no budgets also means that Learning and Development activities are ad-hoc and often seen as a personal opportunity instead of as an organisational advantage.

Management Schools in Sierra Leone usually focus on producing students with high academic qualifications in certain sectors who are set out with little or no practical skills to run and develop organisations. This has led to a number of other inherent issues causing in some cases friction in organisations among Sierra Leoneans from the diaspora with experience but lack of local knowledge, and home grown Sierra Leoneans with local knowledge but lack experience and relevant exposure in management.

Our experiences also show that most high profile organisations and Government organisations turn to Regional and International Business Schools which are very expensive; and these investments do not always necessarily benefit the organisations.

Our passion for development in Sierra Leone and our keen desire to address some of the issues organisations face with local talent and the difficulties our Entrepreneurs face brought the Freetown Business School to fruition.

Our short term goals are:

• To create a learning and development environment through which we can enhance and develop the skills of Sierra Leonean Professionals and Entrepreneurs.
• To promote Continuous Professional Development (CPD) programs; training activities to enable Sierra Leonean Professionals based in Sierra Leone to keep up to date with global changes in their professions; as well as providing a framework to develop our Entrepreneurs to give them a competitive advantage in their business.
• Forge links with organisations to collaborate with them and support them in developing and implementing Organizational Training, Learning and Development Plans and Capacity Building Initiatives.
• Create a Platform in which Trainers and Educators can work together to provide a service through a regulated body.
• Give Professionals and Senior Executives space within which they can share experiences and develop frameworks within the local contexts through our Master Class Series.
• To provide affordable Training and Development Programs that are accessible to Managers and Entrepreneurs as part of their development activities thus creating a culture of learning and development in which Managers can cascade training to staff and in effect increase productivity within their teams and the organisation.
• Provide Bespoke Training and Development Programs for organisations.
• Develop professional and personal self-management skills for all.

Our long terms goals are:

• To provide academic and accredited courses in the areas of Accounting, Finance, Marketing, Management, Entrepreneurship, Leadership, Human Resources, Business Information Technology and Languages.
• To link with Universities and Professional bodies worldwide to provide taught courses.
• To develop an Institution of Research collaborating with businesses on joint research projects, supplying highly-qualified and highly-motivated graduates to the local workforce, and working with schools and colleges to help raise attainment and aspirations and to provide information, advice and guidance to pupils.

Our joint efforts at the Freetown Business School will ensure that we address some of the issues we face with local content, and as such effectively contribute to the sustainable development of Sierra Leone through our people resources.