Profiles of the Sierra Leone Informal Economy

In 2017, the GDP per capita in sub-Saharan Africa was approximately $1,554 dollars. The vast majority of that ($1,088 or 70%) was generated in the informal sector known as the Grey Economy. Sierra Leone mirrors this reality. We employ in these series creative writing anchored in data analytics to reveal and share insights from--and testimonials by--the young men, women, boys and girls who drive 70% of the Grey Economy in Sierra Leone in particular and sub-Saharan Africa at large.

Sunday, February 17, 2019

On a Silver Plate: A Profile of the Sierra Leone Informal Economy (III)

Dr. Umaru Bah, CEO

DataWise (SL) Ltd.

@DataWiseSL

Originally Published in Medium on February 10, 2019.

You get burnt if they catch you with burnt plates of Sierra Leonean artists.

You do not pirate original plates produced by CDSA. That’s the Sierra Leone Compact-Disc Sellers Association. Too much hassle from the police. The CDSA is very powerful. If you burn Salone artists, the police will take you and your merchandise and everything else to the station where you will spend your whole day and money to release yourself, your merchandise and your boombox. Most times, you never get back your merchandise. And you have to start back from zero. And hope the producers loan you back some plates to sell and make enough profit to pay back all those lost plates.