Platforms Launched to Support Informal Business Growth
By Abu Bakarr Sidique Kamara
In a strategic effort to support the transformation of informal businesses into formal, sustainable enterprises, Innovation SL one of Sierra Leone’s leading nonprofit innovation organizations — on Monday, July 28, hosted the soft launch of three new digital platforms: KulturArt, Salone Bazaar, and the Africa BrandNest Hub. These platforms aim to expand market access, improve financial inclusion, and promote business formalization through digital tools.
Speaking at the launch event, Madam Hannah Campbell, Deputy CEO of Innovation Sierra Leone, emphasized the purpose behind the initiative. “Our goal is to provide access access to markets, access to finance and fast-forward growth,” she said. “We’ve supported three innovators from the ideation stage, providing them with technical assistance and platform development support. These platforms are now being tested and validated by informal businesses.”
Francis Stevens George, CEO of Innovation SL, highlighted the significance of the initiative. “Only 10–20% of businesses in Sierra Leone currently benefit from structured opportunities. This project is about extending those same opportunities to the remaining 80%,” he said. “These businesses hold the majority of our economy’s revenue. It’s not that they don’t want to formalize; they face structural obstacles. This project aims to remove those obstacles.”
He also connected the project to broader entrepreneurial opportunities, referencing the Orange Social Venture Prize, a major entrepreneurial competition in Africa. “The winner this year created a solution to help informal sector women formalize their businesses. The same potential exists here,” he noted.
Madam Fatmata Jalloh, Project Manager at Innovation Sierra Leone, explained that the platforms are part of a broader initiative supported by UNDP. “Many informal businesses lack access to markets and financial services, and are not registered,” she said. “These platforms provide simple, practical solutions that not only improve efficiency but also offer incentives for formalization.”
The Three Platforms
- Salone Bazaar
Salone Bazaar is an e-learning and e-commerce platform specifically designed for informal tailors and fashion entrepreneurs. It helps improve their market visibility, supports digital sales, and provides a guided path toward formalization, including business registration and access to financial services. - KulturArt
KulturArt is a digital platform created for Sierra Leonean visual artists including painters, sculptors, and carvers to showcase their work both locally and internationally. The platform promotes business formalization by integrating digital payments, offering registration support, and providing professional exposure within the creative economy. - Africa BrandNest Hub
Powered by CIJ Digital Hub, the Africa BrandNest Hub offers structured training in branding, marketing, and financial literacy. Tailored for informal businesses, the platform also guides users through the process of business registration, digital record-keeping, and accessing financial services.
Ngevao Sesay, Technical Assistance Director for the Informal Sector at Innovation SL, noted that two of the platforms include product-upload and order-management functionalities, allowing users to independently manage their offerings. He added that the platforms also incorporate training in digital tools to empower users in managing their businesses online.
Frederick H. Horton, CEO of KulturArt, underscored the importance of supporting local artists. “This platform is meant to create incentives and strengthen the drive among artists to formalize their businesses, despite the challenges they face in accessing markets.”
Chernor Jalloh, founder of Africa BrandNest Hub, shared the inspiration behind the platform. “We had three main goals: support people with a passion for technology who couldn’t access university, provide opportunities for unemployed graduates, and bridge the skills gap in the informal sector,” he said. “We now train and allocate individuals to support informal businesses with services like branding, marketing, and web design.”
Osman Bah, founder of Salone Bazaar, described how the project began as a seven-day idea challenge. “Thanks to Innovation SL, I’ve been able to launch this platform targeting tailors. We’re now working to bring it to mobile devices, as 80–90% of our users rely on smartphones.”
The event concluded with testimonials from early users of the platforms, who shared how these tools have improved their businesses and helped them move toward formalization.
