International development and aid flows are in unprecedented turmoil. The US Trump administration issued a stop-work order on USAID’s $23 billion annual budget, immediately impacting critical programs across Africa. In Sierra Leone, HIV clinics now face medication shortages, risking lives and increased infections. Meanwhile, European donors are retreating—the Netherlands cutting €2.4 billion and the UK slashing aid from 0.5% to 0.3% of GNI, eliminating £6.1 billion. For Sierra Leone, where USAID’s $1.2 billion in assistance between 2010-2025 represented 12-15% of total international aid, the impact will be profound.
Sierra Leone’s Secret Weapon
While aid dwindles, Sierra Leone has an ace up its sleeve: its global diaspora. Across Africa, approximately 160 million Africans live abroad, sending back a staggering $100 billion annually. In Sierra Leone specifically, remittances contributed 6.8% of GDP in 2023—making diaspora money more impactful than many realize. While foreign aid accounted for 11% of Gross National Income in 2022, remittances at 5.8% of GDP went directly into households and businesses, providing immediate economic support.
Diaspora Entrepreneurs Transform Communities
The real power lies beyond remittances in direct diaspora investment. In education, Muckson Sesay, a Sierra Leonean based in Canada, founded Central University Sierra Leone at Mile 91 in 2014. With over 1,500 students today, its presence is transforming the region, now expanding into student housing development.
Nearby, his sister Dr. Linda Muckson Sesay built the Community Health Foundation, a private hospital providing affordable healthcare that’s gained such reputation that patients travel from Freetown and neighboring countries for treatment.
In agriculture and tech, London-based Naomi Sesay is creating a sustainable smart city in Matamp with innovation and agricultural hubs, already producing nutritious red rice for restaurant supply chains. Meanwhile, Colin Ogoo’s Christex Foundation at Fourah Bay College provides free blockchain training to position Sierra Leone as a digital leader in the global revolution.
Unleashing Diaspora Investment Potential
Several promising avenues could dramatically increase diaspora economic engagement. With Sierra Leone’s growing tech sector, diaspora angel investor networks could fund high-potential startups. The government’s planned Startup Act through the Ministry of Communication, Technology, and Innovation would provide essential fiscal incentives.
Not all diaspora members are entrepreneurs, but many would subscribe to well-designed diaspora bonds investing in attractive projects with good returns—a strategy successfully employed by Nigeria. This requires leadership from the Ministry of Finance and Bank of Sierra Leone. WIDU.africa matches European-based African diaspora remittances to support job-creating investments, while an initiative between AFFORD (UK) and ICMPD (Brussels) has already facilitated 10 successful campaigns raising over €200,000 for SMEs in West Africa since 2023.
Overcoming Barriers to Investment
Despite their enthusiasm, diaspora entrepreneurs face unique challenges including unfamiliarity with local business practices, limited access to information networks, and lack of local credit history. Banks could innovate solutions, following examples from Zenith Bank (Nigeria), NCBA (Kenya), and Vista Bank (France) that offer portable credit histories and foreign currency lending.
The Path Forward
As Winston Churchill said: “Never let a good crisis go to waste.” With strategic governance reforms ensuring scarce resources are properly utilized, Sierra Leone can emerge from these aid cuts stronger and with greater citizen participation in directing development. Realizing this potential requires coordinated effort from government ministries, the Bank of Sierra Leone, the private sector, and organized diaspora commerce chambers.
The polycrisis of aid cuts may ultimately prove the catalyst that transforms Sierra Leone’s economy through the power of its global diaspora—a price worth paying for the economic autonomy that follows.
© 2025 Chukwu-Emeka Chikezie. The author writes in his personal capacity