On the Ground in Freetown: Fieldwork for the Creative Economy Diagnostic

This past week, our team has been in Freetown, Sierra Leone, leading the fieldwork phase of the “Sierra Leone Creative Economy Diagnostic and Toolkit” — a project funded by The World Bank that aims to better understand the current state of the country’s creative industries and identify pathways for their growth.

The project is the first of its kind in Sierra Leone. While the creative economy holds enormous potential for job creation — particularly for youth and women — its development has been held back by multiple challenges: data scarcity, access to finance, limited infrastructure, and regulatory and institutional gaps. This diagnostic is a first step in identifying these constraints in a structured way and offering realistic, evidence-based recommendations for moving forward.

What We’re Doing in Sierra Leone

Our visit is part of the project’s third phase, focused on primary data collection through in-person workshops, interviews, and meetings. The goal is to build a nuanced picture of the ecosystem from the ground up — not just through statistics or policy reviews, but by listening to those who live and work in the creative economy every day.

Led by Olivia Fava-Verde (Operations Manager) and Anaïs Sánchez Nieto (Senior Consultant), the team has spent the week meeting with a wide range of stakeholders: from fashion designers and musicians to local entrepreneurs, incubator staff, ministry officials, donor partners, and creative hubs. We've also gathered documents, reports, and secondary data shared by various institutions to complement the findings.

These interactions will feed into a comprehensive ecosystem mapping and inform the selection of five priority creative industries, one of which will be selected for a detailed value chain assessment.

Why This Work Matters

Like many countries in Sub-Saharan Africa, Sierra Leone has a young and growing population, with an urgent need for job creation. The creative economy offers a flexible and accessible entry point for many — especially for young people and women — through sectors like music, film, digital media, and crafts.

But the lack of structured support and investment means that most creative professionals and SMEs operate informally, with limited access to finance, legal protections, or reliable infrastructure. Our job is to help identify where the most potential lies and how targeted support can help unlock it.

This fieldwork is essential because there is very little formal data available on the creative sector in Sierra Leone. Most national statistics don’t cover these industries in detail, and many creative businesses fall outside traditional economic classifications. Through this visit, we’re collecting not just data points, but also stories, experiences, and perspectives that will help shape a more relevant and actionable diagnostic.

What Comes Next in the Diagnostic

After this field phase, we’ll move into the drafting of the Diagnostic Report and Guidance Note. The diagnostic will include:

• A definition and mapping of the creative economy in the Sierra Leone context
• An analysis of the sector’s current status, key constraints, and opportunities
• A prioritization of five creative industries, with one sector explored in depth
• Recommendations for legal and policy reform, human capital development, access to finance, and ecosystem support
• A special focus on supporting women and youth entrepreneurs

The Guidance Note will also provide a step-by-step framework to replicate this type of diagnostic in other countries, especially those with similarly limited data availability.

Building on Our Experience in the Creative Industries

This project draws on our previous work in the creative industries across Africa, including in Rwanda, Nigeria, Ethiopia, Côte d’Ivoire, South Africa, and Kenya, where we've collaborated with institutions like the African Development Bank Group and Netflix to support the sector’s development through diagnostics, business models, and policy recommendations.

But each country is different. What’s striking in Sierra Leone is the energy and openness we’ve encountered. Stakeholders are eager to be part of the process, to share their experiences, and to advocate for stronger support to the sector. The level of engagement we’ve seen during this visit has been encouraging — and a sign that the timing of this work is right.

We’re grateful for all the contributions from stakeholders so far and look forward to presenting the findings in the coming months.

👉 Learn more about our work in the creative sector: https://lnkd.in/dHC7b82v