Disadvantaged Entrepreneurship Development: The Role of Civil Society Organisations in the Sierra Leone Petty Trading Entrepreneurial Ecosystem

Abstract

The current chapter is one of the first studies to specifically address the role of civil society organisations (CSOs) for entrepreneurship development in the disadvantaged context of Sierra Leone. It specifically highlights the important role of CSOs in the petty trading (disadvantaged) entrepreneurial ecosystem. Based on the qualitative analysis of interviewers undertaken with two CSOs and three entrepreneurial firms from disadvantaged backgrounds, our findings offer interesting insights into this phenomenon. We find that in the context of disadvantaged entrepreneurship development, CSOs are seen as more trustworthy by the general population than the government (public bodies). The government, through the national youth commission, also tried to collaborate with CSOs regarding entrepreneurial skills development in disadvantaged entrepreneurs. The findings further reveal that despite the appreciation of the role of CSOs for disadvantaged entrepreneurship development by public authorities in recent years, they still face many bureaucratic hurdles and delays in operations. Finally, our chapter reveals several dynamics associated with skills and competencies development in disadvantaged entrepreneurship in Sierra Leone specific context, where skills such as basic business planning, livestock handling, and financial management emerge as being highly useful.