The “Failure to Launch” Mindset: Turning Sierra Leone’s Problems into Portfolios

For over three years, the Sierra Leone Diaspora Investment Conference has served as a rallying cry for economic participation. Yet, even with $230 million sent home annually in remittances, a persistent “information and resource gap” remains. This has created what I call a “Failure to Launch” mindset—a hesitation rooted in confusion about what it truly means to be a diaspora investor.

To bridge this gap, our latest series on the Make Sierra Leone Famous podcast brings together global experts to move us from “pocket money” remittances toward consolidated, productive capital. As economist Ade Freeman notes, the shift begins when we stop complaining about problems and start seeing them as market gaps.

The Expert Lens: Strategy Over Emotion

Ade Freeman is no stranger to the high-level boardroom. An economist by training, he led the private sector development team for the World Bank in Sierra Leone following the Ebola crisis and has worked extensively across Kenya and Ghana. After years of leading analytical studies on diaspora trade, Freeman argues that we must stop looking at home through a lens of pure emotion and start using an investor’s lens.

Problems are Just Opportunities in Disguise

Most people see a lack of 24-hour electricity or inconsistent water supply as a reason to stay away. Freeman sees a goldmine.

“If you can solve the biggest problems, that is where I get the greatest investment opportunities,” Freeman explains. “Stop complaining about the problems in Sierra Leone and start seeing them as investment opportunities”.

When I decided to “break up” with my generator in Freetown and invest in solar, I wasn’t just buying a product—I was creating jobs for local installers and injecting money into the community.

The Path Forward: Structured Vehicles

Our parents’ generation viewed investment as “brick and mortar”—building a house in the village to prove they had “made it”. But a house you live in is often a liability, draining pockets for maintenance without generating returns. To leapfrog into the future, we must embrace Structured Investment Vehicles, such as Special Purpose Vehicles (SPVs) or Angel Investment Networks. These tools allow us to pool resources professionally rather than relying on “blind faith” in relatives.

The “Perfect Enabling Environment” does not exist in any market. We must work within the reality of our emerging market, doing our due diligence to capture the rewards Sierra Leone offers to those brave enough to lead.

Top 5 Expert Insights from Ade Freeman

• The Problem-Opportunity Swap: Investors look for the largest inefficiencies because solving them represents the greatest business potential.
• The Return on Investment (ROI) Shift: Move from “consumption remittances” to “productive investments” where you actually expect a return.
• Structured Over Informal: Transition from sending money to family for loose ventures to using formal SPVs (Special Purpose Vehicles) that offer ordinary shares and proper governance.
• Planning for Inefficiency: “You plan for those things. You don’t go in there hoping that they will change tomorrow”—meaning you must factor the cost of utilities like solar into your business plan.
• The Emotional Premium: Patriotism should be a “premium” added to a deal, but the underlying investment must have a “realistic return to investment” to be sustainable.

The Sierra Leone Diaspora Investment Conference is bringing these conversations to life. Join us in London (June 19-20) at the Intercontinental Hotel on Park Lane to meet others who are moving from watching on the sidelines to building the future.