How 32-Year-Old Abubakarr Al-Sidiq Fofanah founded The Al-Sidiq Tailoring and Fashion school In Waterloo

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Last updated: 2023/02/17 at 10:35 PM

By Sallu Kamuskay Published February 17, 2023 194 Views 7 Min Read

7 Min Read

How 32-Year-Old Abubakarr Al-Sidiq Fofanah founded The Al-Sidiq Tailoring and Fashion school In Waterloo

Sierra Leone is blessed with a youthful population, with 7 in 10 citizens below the age of 35, the impact of unemployment is not only on young people who do not have qualifications but increasingly, unemployment is common amongst those with diplomas and graduate-level qualifications. In 2021, during the post-pandemic, 32-year-old Sierra Leonean master’s holder, Abubakarr Al-Sidiq Fofanah started up the Al-Sidiq Tailoring and Fashion school in rural waterloo which seeks to provide skills for young people through employing 10 young Sierra Leoneans. The Al-Sidiq Tailoring and Fashion school Store and school in less than 2 years have expanded into a school and recently employed over 5 more people with students enrolled at the school. The Al-Sidiq Tailoring and Fashion school also offers Business planning, Business scaling, financial consultation, and management for clients across the world.

Early Life and Career

Abubakarr Al-Sidiq Fofanah, like many young people born and growing up in Sierra Leone, is taught that going to school, getting your degree, and masters, and working at the office is all you need to do to become successful. Whiles 32-year-old Abubakarr Al-Sidiq Fofanah fulfilled his family’s dream of becoming educated to the level of being a master’s holder. Abubakarr Al-Sidiq Fofanah has always believed that Skills are opportunities and opportunities provide jobs. “One of my key beliefs in Sierra Leone is that we can only elevate this country to a higher level through financial awareness and financial management which comes through skills,” he told Salone Messenger during an interview.

Early Life and Education

Born and grew up in Kono to a family of over 20 children, Abubakarr Al-Sidiq Fofanah is a 32-year-old Sierra Leonean entrepreneur, who holds a Bachelor’s in Economics and a Master in Finance from the International University of Africa and Sudan Academy for Banking and Financial Science in Khatoum, Sudan. Abubakarr Al-Sidiq Fofanah is the CEO and founder of the Al-Sidiq Tailoring and Fashion school offering employment for youth skilled enough in tailoring but lacking the avenues to engage themselves. Abubakarr Al-Sidiq Fofanah attended the Sierra Leone Muslim Brotherhood where he completed his primary education and later proceeded to the Ahmadiyya Muslim Secondary school where he completed his junior and senior secondary education. Abubakarr Al-Sidiq Fofanah was the head boy throughout his secondary and senior secondary education.

Early life and inspiration

Abubakarr Al-Sidiq Fofanah journey to entrepreneurship was not something he had dreamt of, his initial dream was to become a lawyer due to a sad experience growing up as a child “ When I was young, My mother was duped about $2,000 by a scammer, I was the one who gave the money to a scammer and knew everything that happened, the lawyer we went to couldn’t help, I was saddened by that experience and on my way home with my mother, I told her that I wanted to become a lawyer so that nobody in our family will go through this bad experience “ he told Salone Messenger. Abubakarr Al-Sidiq Fofanah was pushed by this experience to go into the arts stream in school in a bid to become a lawyer.

While at University in Sudan, Abubakarr Al-Sidiq Fofanah was exposed to financial awareness and financial knowledge, he nurtured the belief that if a country should develop, individuals, should believe that they have to be financially liberated. “If you want something, you should be able to get it, if you want to do something, you should be able to do it, this is my belief” he noted. Abubakarr Al-Sidiq Fofanah started off by creating social media handles and teaching young people about financial management and awareness under the name Money Teacher, through his platforms, hundreds of young people watched and were able to start up their own businesses.

Abubakarr Al-Sidiq Fofanah As An Entrepreneur

After graduating in 2020, Abubakarr Al-Sidiq Fofanah returned home and start up a restaurant that employs over 9 young people. A few weeks before Abubakarr Al-Sidiq Fofanah got married, he needed a wedding dress, after checking several tailoring shops in the country, Abubakarr Al-Sidiq Fofanah could not find the type of dress he needed. He had to go to Guinea to get the type of dress he needed. This saw an eye-opening for Abubakarr Al-Sidiq Fofanah, he decided to start up the Al-Sidiq Tailoring and Fashion school which employ over 15 young people who receive payment every two weeks. Al-Sidiq Tailoring and Fashion school do all types of dresses for weddings and any type of event while it serves as a school to train young people in tailoring.

Blessed with a youthful population, with 7 in 10 citizens being below the age of 35, the impact is not only on young people who do not have qualifications, but increasingly, unemployment is common amongst those with diplomas and graduate-level qualifications.

For inquiries, contact them on the following contact below

Email alsidiqschool@gmail.com

Facebook: Al Sidiq School and Tailoring and Fashion School

Instagram Al Sidiq Tailoring and Fashion School

Call: +23275882070

WhatsApp: +23275882070

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By Sallu Kamuskay

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Sallu Kamuskay is a Sierra Leonean communication strategist, fixer, blogger, youth organiser, event manager, spokesperson, and public relations expert. His work has been regularly referenced and published by national and international media and public policy institutions. Sallu Kamuskay was a child during the brutal war in Sierra Leone. Growing up in the midst of conflict, Sallu witnessed unimaginable abuse of children and gross violations of human rights. The horrors he witnessed during the Civil War had a terrible impact on him at a very tender age. But despite the shock of the war, Sallu never lost hope. He started on a journey of recovery, studying, and working for a better future. At age 15, Sallu entered into the world of activism and advocacy. Sallu Kamuskay was the Vice President of the Young Leaders Organisation, a member of the National Youth Council. The Young Leaders is one of the oldest youth-led organisations in West Africa. The organisation was formed by a group of young leaders, and launched by the then Head of State/President of Sierra Leone. Sallu was part of the group of young leaders who participated in and contributed to the establishment of the National Youth Council. The Commonwealth supported the training for trainers programme with line ministries and youth stakeholders in which key, representatives of youth council, student union and civil society/private sector youth platforms were engaged and empowered in the effective engagement and inclusion of youth. Sallu is co-founder and Executive Director of the Salone Messenger, a global multimedia and public relations firm based In Sierra Leone. Sallu has worked on various developmental and policy issues such as Poverty, Climate Change, Human rights, Child Rights, Education, Health, Gender Equality, Civic Engagement, Government policies, Information Communication Technology for Development and the Sustainable Development Goals, and has also been contributing to various global events and advocacy campaigns. Sallu Kamuskay is the co-founder and Executive Director of the Salone Messenger, a global Multimedia and Public Relations Firm based in Sierra Leone with the latest news and information, on top stories, business, politics, entertainment, and more. Sallu is working with a leading technology company in Africa, Techfrica, that has recently developed and launched a social media, messaging Supfrica with over 150,000 downloads on the Google play store in less than 4 days. He is the Adviser and Media coordinator for the App to give people the platform to connect and communicate to help shape their future with a very fast internet that allows users that live in deprived and hard-to-reach areas with poor internet facility to be able to communicate as it allows and stronger on 2 and 3 G network reception. Sallu has over 9 years of experience in youth engagement, inclusion, and coordination both at local and global levels, giving voice to young people and engaging young people to build a better world. He has served as coordinator for the Wave Alliance which brought together youth-led organisations who attended an international training in South Africa organized by the International Organization – Waves for Change. Sallu is working with the MLT, Waves For Change, and the Government to develop safe spaces for young people, with a view to contributing to the overall development goals of young people including health, as well as to community rebuilding. Sallu is currently the Programme Director for the Wave Alliance, which is a coalition of youth-led and community-based organisations that have successfully introduced evidence-based Surf Therapy programs to young people in communities, with a focus on mental health, peace building and sustainable development. Sallu is currently the focal point and face of Africa’s Faces Social media platform which is a global Social media platform that brings together people from across the world to share their moments, connect, share videos, and interact with friends giving more preference to excluded continents like Africa. Sallu Kamuskay has devoted his time to working for or contributing to a number of national and international organizations and companies, including the Techfrica Technology Company, United Nations, ECOWAS, European Union, Commonwealth Africa Initiatives. This work has led him to travel to a number of countries to contribute to global youth platforms. Sallu is the lead Coordinator for Peace Tour programme, an initiative supported by the European Union, Africa Union, ECOWAS focusing on uniting and empowering young people and local communities. Over the years, Sallu Kamuskay has been using his Techno phone to be able to tell stories, the phone he used to tell the story of Gbessay during Ebola who was admitted at one of the Ebola treatment centers after rumors that she had Ebola when the actual sickness was ulcer, she was almost abandoned at the treatment canter with no medication provided to her. She could have died. Sallu told the story via social media and was able to secure funding from the United Sierra Leone to buy her medication and advocated for her. She was later discharged and taken home, He did the same to a patient that died and was abandoned in the street, Sallu Kamuskay used his phone and shared the message across, the corps was later taken and buried. It could have been more disaster without his voice. The story of late America Stress 3-year-old daughter. The hero’s daughter was abandon after his father's death. He shared her sad story and was able to get a sister who has taken the child as her own and is currently providing her with educational support. The article of America Stress can be read on the link below http://ayvnewspaper.com/index.php/k2-categories/item/7350-america-stress-a-hero-to-recognize. Sallu Kamuskay feels the stories of Gbessay, America stress and that of many others need to be told. The media house we have cannot better tell these stories, they are better reporters than telling human interest stories. He created the Salone Messenger platform and brought together passionate storytellers to be able to tell these compelling stories.