By:Mohamed Jalloh
Remijus Okafor, the proprietor of Rumez Commercial Enterprise at No 2 Lumley street, Freetown who is also a naturalized Sierra Leonean has opened up to A-Z multimedia on his business experience in Sierra Leone after residing in the country for over 35 years.
Mr Okafor said he hailed from a humble background in Nigeria but later engaged in business by initially selling electrical and electronics equipment.
“After raising some capital a friend enticed me to seek a business adventure in Sierra Leone. I had to sell my shop and accompany the friend to Sierra Leone”, he explained.
Whiles in Sierra Leone, Mr Okafor said he began importing radio parts and distributing them to radio mechanics but noted that, initially, business was very challenging because he was not realizing the much needed proceeds from the business.
The entrepreneur stated that he later utilized his connections in Nigeria to supply him with saleable products which he distributed in Sierra Leone.
After selling the products, he noted that he would return the head cost of the products to his suppliers in Nigeria and withholds the profits for himself.
Mr Okafor noted that eventually his business paid off and he was among the first Nigerians in Sierra Leone to import a container full of goods.
The business man emphasized on the virtue of honesty, as according to him, he would not have succeeded in business without manifesting honesty with his suppliers.
He advised Sierra Leonean youths to adopt the virtue of honesty, whiles furthering that his honesty has yielded dividend as he now attracts different business partners across the world.
The entrepreneur reveals that he is the distributor in Sierra Leone of Expression hair product for Linda manufacturers and that of Sora Cosmetics located in Turkey.
Mr Okafor disclosed that he influenced the above mentioned businesses to sponsor the Big Brother Naija reality Television programme in Nigeria and the House mate season 3 versions in Sierra Leone.
“I urged them to sign a 3 year sponsorship contract with the organizer of House Mate Salone”, he reveals.
The entrepreneur said the sponsorship deals in the entertainment sector are also a marketing strategy as the participants in these reality shows will be adorned with their products.
He said a recent study has revealed that Sierra Leoneans have the best intelligent quotient (IQ) in Africa and they must utilize such to improve their lives and the country as a whole.
Mr Okafor reveals that there are many opportunities and untapped sectors in Sierra Leone which the government must harness for the benefit of Sierra Leoneans.
He urges the government to provide the favorable environment and fertile climate for businesses to thrive and succeed.
The naturalized Sierra Leonean advised the government to conduct a research on merchandise mortality and the non-sustainability of young businesses, as according to him many Businesses in Sierra Leone collapse during their initial years of establishment.
Mr Okafor urges the government to review the current tax regime as he noted that the duty at the sea port and the 15% Goods and services tax (GST) is a bit exorbitant for businesses to put up with.
In order to solve the problem of youth unemployment, Mr Okafor said government must woo in mega manufacturing companies that would provide quality employment to Sierra Leoneans.
“The key to unlocking the economic potential of Sierra Leone is rapid industrialization. By producing on a massive scale there are opportunities to export to the wider West African market including Nigeria with more than 120 million population”, the entrepreneur explains.
He concluded by calling on the government to capacitate the youths in different careers by providing quality training of international standards that they would make use of even when they are out of Sierra Leone.
