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.

Thursday, May 23, 2019

Gold Dirt: A Profile of the Sierra Leone Informal Economy (IV)

Dr. Umaru Bah, CEO

DataWise (SL) Ltd.

@DataWiseSL

So Gibril came all the way abroad from United Stay to manage the kompanie. Waste Management Kompanie. That was what they called the kompanie. Waste Management. But the kompanie kind of went to waste. So Gibril Wilson, when he came, he wanted to start all over. Clean out the whole mess. Everything. So he changed the name to Masada. And let go of many, many of us push-kiat garbage workers.

But the old Kompanie still owed us wages. And we had nothing to work with because it owned even the push-kiat we used to haul the garbage. So Gibril took sympathy on us and gave us the push-kiats for free. I painted mine, put my name and motto on it. And that’s how I got my own business.