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Supporting Entrepreneurs and Enterprise Development in Africa or SEEDA is our flagship programme. SEEDA harness the resources of the African diaspora - skills, know-how and finance - to support small and medium-sized businesses in Africa. Since the first SEEDA mission to Sierra Leone in March 2006, four further missions have been undertaken, supported by Voluntary Services Overseas Diaspora Volunteering Initiative. So far 70 diaspora Resource Persons (RPs) have invested over £120,000 worth of their time and money, enagging with 800 plus businesses, assisting them with book-keeping, business planning, marketing, and even with opening bank accounts and securing capital. SEEDA SUCCESSES Businesses Supported - Over 800 grassroots and informal businesses in 2006/2007 have so far been provided with business planning, book keeping and marketing support in Sierra Leone and Ghana
- So far 2 new businesses have been created as a result of SEEDA
Access to Capital - In Sierra Leone where only 1% of people have bank accounts partnerships have been established with banks which have begun to provide financial services to the grassroots businesses
- SEEDA RPs have helped over 15 businesses have been helped to establish bank accounts
- The certificates given at the end of completing the SEEDA programme are providing evidence to banks that these grassroots businesses have a basic grasp of bookkeeping
- SEEDA RPs have personally invested in 3 businesses
- SEEDA RPs have established a diaspora investment fund to invest in individual businesses
Sharing knowledge and skills - A Resource Pool of over 60 people who have travelled to Sierra Leone and has been established
- This resource pool have already invested over £120,000 of their money and time to share their skills, knowledge, know how and contacts
- An additional 100 people have shown interest and will soon be established in virtual Resource pool to support businesses in Africa, as well as fundraise
- The Resource pool members who have travelled to Sierra Leone have had their confidence and skills improved in a number of areas, including leadership, management, project planning, problem solving etc.
Creating an enabling environment - SEEDA in partnership with institutions in Sierra Leone is establishing 2 pilot business development centres
- As well as providing business advise, the centres will bring together associations for grassroots businesses (market women’s association, Sierra Leone Indigenous Business Association, Sweissy Jewellers Association, etc) to advocate for a better environment for grassroots businesses.
- Working with the Sierra Leone government as part of its Poverty Reduction Strategy to focus on youth employment
Diaspora, private, public partnerships - SEEDA programme has generated unique diaspora, private and public partnerships with Voluntary Services Overseas, Department for International Dvevelopment, Diamond Trading Centre, Southwark Council, Barclays Bank (Ghana), Rokel Bank, Sierra Leone Ministry of Youth and Sport, Sierra Leone High Commission, London Institute of Public Administration and Management, and Njala University.
Development Awareness about the importance of jobs - ‘A homecoming for Jobs in Africa’ the documentary of the November 2006 SEEDA mission, which is raising awareness about the importance of the needs for jobs in Africa and how we can support this, premiered at the Tricycle cinema in north London, followed by discussions
- It has been shown to an audience of hundreds of thousands on BEN and OBE cable television
- It has been shown at Chatham House in partnership with Business Action for Africa, again followed by discussions as to how Africa facing big businesses can support the diaspora’s job
- It has also been shown in special screening in Sierra Leone and on television
- Future screenings include Southwark council’s Sierra Leonean conference; Shell Africa staff; 100 Black men of London; at the Tricycle again, amongst Sierra Leone diaspora in the United States, amongst many venues up and down the country
- The documentary will also raise the need for establishing a ‘jobs alliance’ for poverty reduction in Africa and mobilise other members of the diaspora to engage in diaspora-Plus
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