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1 – 10 of 138This article is divided into seven sections randomly organized to address specific issues related to poor and destitute children in Sierra Leone. The contents are primarily…
Abstract
This article is divided into seven sections randomly organized to address specific issues related to poor and destitute children in Sierra Leone. The contents are primarily flavored by the work and implementation dynamics of a small non-profit organization trying to make a dent in the welfare and upkeep of some of Sierra Leone's poor children. Sometimes the activities of our organization also touch the lives of adults, particularly when these adults are so poor that they are unable to provide for themselves and their children. The first section gives an introduction. The second section describes the country in geographical, educational, and socio-economic contexts. The third provides snapshots or vignettes of what it means to be poor and the realities of working among the poor in Sierra Leone. In the fourth section, we discuss the nature of child poverty in the country. Section five discusses probable contributions made by the state towards child poverty in Sierra Leone. Section six narrates the nature of the work done by the Leonenet Street Children Project.1 Recommendations are made in section seven on what needs to be done to ameliorate the situation.
Emmanuel Raufflet and Johannes Lohmeyer
International business, Strategic management
Abstract
Subject area
International business, Strategic management
Study level/applicability
BA and MA; courses: International business, Management courses with special focus on emerging and developing countries, Intercultural management, Strategic management.
Case overview
Freetown, Sierra Leone, West Africa, June 2013 – Representatives of the London Mining Corporation and Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit GmbH were discussing the details about the official launch of the From Mines to Minds project. The From Mines to Minds project consisted of two components technical, vocational and educational training at St. Joseph's and functional adult literacy for people who could not benefit from the upgrade of St. Joseph's in 17 communities around the mine site. Each of them had committed 200,000 euros to the project. While the mining company favored an early launch due to internal and external pressures, the development agency evaluated that they needed to have a consolidated program before advertising it locally and nationally. This joint decision on the official launch revealed more structural issues in the “fit” between these two organizations in this cross-sectoral partnership designed to contribute to local and national sustainable development.
Expected learning outcomes
The purpose of the case is twofold. The first aim is to introduce students/participants to the challenges that arise when entering into a cross-sectoral partnership with another organization in a development project. The second aim is to expose students to the operational, business and strategic challenges related to operating in the volatile local and national context of a least developed economy.
Supplementary materials
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To describe the state of the library system in Sierra Leone in the recent period after the civil war, and its part in post‐conflict reconstruction.
Abstract
Purpose
To describe the state of the library system in Sierra Leone in the recent period after the civil war, and its part in post‐conflict reconstruction.
Design/methodology/approach
A descriptive account with some historical, social and geographical contextual information.
Findings
The paper demonstrates how libraries have an essential role to play in the recreation of a nation's civil fabric following a period of destruction and social disintegration.
Research limitations/implications
This account of library reconstruction during a period of post‐conflict stability describes a situation, the future development of which is dependent on a number of external variables. It is difficult to predict how those factors will in fact play out, but there is reason for cautious optimism.
Practical implications
This paper describes the pragmatic steps and policy commitments needed to restore library services in a period following a breakdown in civil order.
Originality/value
The paper gives an important insight into library work in a difficult and traumatic setting and provides ample evidence of how librarianship has an invaluable contribution to make in such environments.
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Abdul Karim Kafoir and Emeka Raphael Agu
Traditional savings and credit associations, also known as ‘Osusu’ in Sierra Leone, are unions of individuals with common economic goals aimed at reducing poverty and economic…
Abstract
Traditional savings and credit associations, also known as ‘Osusu’ in Sierra Leone, are unions of individuals with common economic goals aimed at reducing poverty and economic vulnerability. The chapter examined the ecosystem of traditional indigenous savings and credit associations, their role as an emerging financial inclusion strategy, and contributions to the socio-economic transformation of business processes in the ecosystem of business operations in Sierra Leone. The chapter adopted the case study method to discuss the Tawoponneh model of ROSCAs in Sierra Leone. The institutional theory provided insight into why individuals join ROSCAs, as well as the resulting outcomes and benefits. Additionally, this chapter discusses the challenges associated with indigenous financial sustainability practices and provides actionable recommendations for joint private and government policy collaboration in supporting traditional entrepreneurial businesses.
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Ahmad Arslan, Bonnie G. Buchanan, Samppa Kamara and Nasib Al Nabulsi
Fintech is having a profound impact in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) because it offers more financial inclusion. In this paper, the authors examine the interrelationship of Fintech…
Abstract
Purpose
Fintech is having a profound impact in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) because it offers more financial inclusion. In this paper, the authors examine the interrelationship of Fintech, base of the pyramid (BOP) entrepreneurs and social value creation, particularly in the SSA context.
Design/methodology/approach
The current paper uses a qualitative research design with open-ended, in-depth interviews as the main data sources. The authors interviewed respondents from the Sierra Leone Fintech Association and four BOP entrepreneurs operating in different sectors.
Findings
The authors find that Fintech services, specifically mobile money, play a significant role in reducing uncertainty surrounding business operations. FinTech also offers growth possibilities for BOP entrepreneurs and creates social value by providing transactional security, convenience and reducing physical cash robberies. At the same time, Fintech contributes to social value by enhancing BOP entrepreneurs as well as consumers' skills development.
Research limitations/implications
This study highlights the importance of context-specific theorization when analyzing the interlinkage between BOP entrepreneurship, social value creation and Fintech. For example, the possibility of safety from a street robbery may not appear to be part of social value creation by a technological development like Fintech. However, in a country like Sierra Leone, which has experienced both a civil war and Ebola outbreak, insecurity has been one of the biggest concerns expressed by BOP inhabitants. Hence, scholars need to incorporate contextual elements of risk, uncertainty and volatility while theorizing on Fintech's application in BOP contexts.
Practical implications
A key managerial implication relates to micro-firm entrepreneurs and information specific benefits. Fintech offers entrepreneurs the possibility to be in regular contact with customers and evaluate their purchasing patterns as well as emergent needs. Fintech offers BOP entrepreneurs a possibility to further develop their technological skills as learning to use such apps can be used as a basis for further skills development. From a policy perspective, our study highlights the importance of regulating Fintech charges so that the affordability is increased, which is expected to result in significantly more BOP entrepreneurs using these services.
Social implications
The authors find that at the same time, Fintech contributes to social value by enhancing skills development of BOP consumers who interact with case firms.
Originality/value
This paper is one of the first studies that specifically focuses on BOP entrepreneurship and social value creation by Fintech services in an SSA context. It is also one of the few studies that incorporates views from both entrepreneurs and the country's Fintech association, rather than focusing solely on either entrepreneurs or Fintech firms. Finally, there is a specific focus on BOP entrepreneurs engaging in micro-entrepreneurship.
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Civil war and conflict in African nations tend to involve the destruction, damage, and neglect of schools and classrooms. Sierra Leone is no exception. The slaughter and dispersal…
Abstract
Civil war and conflict in African nations tend to involve the destruction, damage, and neglect of schools and classrooms. Sierra Leone is no exception. The slaughter and dispersal of children and the unemployment of teachers, coupled with the loss of equipment, textbooks and other supplies, accounted for the rapid decline in school enrolments during the civil war. This chapter seeks to provide a synthesis of the impact of the global mandate “Education for All” in Sierra Leone's local and national context. It provides examples of contextual realities and challenges that confront the implementation of this international mandate. The chapter argues that Sierra Leone's embrace and constant striving for the actualization of this global mandate is encouraging, but lacks significant contextual quality to make it a truly realized promise. Although progress can be classified as ongoing and truly encouraging, vital historical lessons can be learnt as the country forges to foster the realization of this dream.
Hybrid forms of international criminal justice have been lauded for combining the political and procedural legitimacy of international tribunals with increased attention to the…
Abstract
Hybrid forms of international criminal justice have been lauded for combining the political and procedural legitimacy of international tribunals with increased attention to the local contexts where mass crimes occurred. This work critically examines the hybrid legal structure of the Special Court for Sierra Leone, a novel post-conflict institution empowered to draw from both international and Sierra Leonean law. Although formally hybrid, the Court neglects domestic law in practice, suggesting that “hybridity” refers more to a rhetorical strategy aimed at legitimating its work than to its ontological status. By symbolically including and substantively excluding domestic law, the court's legal structure inadvertently resembles a colonial form of legal pluralism rather than a hybrid jurisdiction.
Discusses the development of local history collections within libraries in Sierra Leone.
Abstract
Purpose
Discusses the development of local history collections within libraries in Sierra Leone.
Design/methodology/approach
The article is a reflective viewpoint.
Findings
That there is a growing interest in local history collections in libraries in Sierra Leone, and that more formal structures should be put in place to safeguard these materials for the future.
Practical implications
Proposes some ways forward for ensuring the long term viability of local collections in Sierra Leone.
Originality/value
The article is the first on the topic of local history collections in Sierra Leone's libraries, and should be of interest to librarians around the world who have an interest in local history librarianship.
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To argue for the development and implementation of a national library and information policy in Sierra Leone.
Abstract
Purpose
To argue for the development and implementation of a national library and information policy in Sierra Leone.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper is an opinion piece discussing the current situation in the country and proposing a new model.
Findings
That Sierra Leone would greatly benefit from a national policy that could aid development in the post‐war period.
Practical implications
The paper offers a model for the implementation of a national policy.
Originality/value
The paper is the first paper to argue for a national policy for Sierra Leone.
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