Investment readiness resources to support Sierra Leonean SMEs
Businesses seeking investment need more than a strong idea or ambitious growth plans. Investors also look for sound governance, financial management, operational capability and responsible business practices. Understanding where a business stands, and what areas need strengthening, is often the first step to becoming investment ready.
To help businesses, Invest Salone, British International Investment and the Africa Resilience Investment Accelerator (ARIA) (co-funded by British International Investment, FMO and Proparco), have developed three practical resources: the Sierra Leone Investment Toolkit, an Investment Readiness Scorecard and a Business Advisor Directory.
At the heart of the initiative is the Investment Readiness Scorecard, a simple, anonymous, online self-assessment that enables businesses to evaluate where they are on their investment journey. Based on their responses, businesses are placed in one of three stages of investment readiness and receive guidance on the areas they should prioritise to improve their investment proposition. The assessment is designed as a diagnostic tool for businesses and does not store or collect user data.
The accompanying Investment Toolkit provides practical guidance on the areas investors typically consider most important, including governance, financial management, business strategy, operations, environmental and social management, and legal and regulatory compliance. Rather than acting as an assessment for investors, the toolkit helps businesses understand what investment readiness looks like and provides practical steps to build the systems and capabilities that underpin sustainable growth.
The third resource, the Business Advisor Directory, provides information on professional service providers operating in Sierra Leone. It serves as a practical starting point to help businesses identify relevant expertise to support them as they prepare for investment but is not exhaustive and does not constitute endorsement of any provider.
Together, these resources provide businesses with a practical way to assess, improve and become more investment ready. They are designed not only for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) seeking investment, but also for transaction advisors, business development service providers and others working to strengthen Sierra Leone’s private sector ecosystem.
The resources were informed by feedback from workshops with Sierra Leonean SMEs, ensuring they reflect the practical challenges businesses face as they grow and seek investment. They also build on experience from similar investment readiness initiatives implemented elsewhere, while being tailored to Sierra Leone’s business environment.