You Cannot Digitise Chaos.
Building the operational infrastructure for Africa’s "missing middle." Connoisseur Consults transitions informal enterprises into structured, investable, and digitally-ready businesses.
The Missing Middle is Investable.
Billions of dollars in FDI and diaspora capital want to enter African markets. But 80% of regional trade is driven by informal-sector businesses that rely on mental accounting and chaotic inventory.
Without foundational business structures, these grassroots enterprises cannot access credit, participate in digital trade, or absorb global capital.
Most Sierra Leonean SMEs lose up to 40% of their profit without even realising it. We find the leaks, fix them, and build the systems that help you scale from grassroots to global
Turning Guesswork Into Growth.
We act as the operational API between the chaotic, informal economy and the formal global market. Through our proprietary frameworks, we transition offline chaos into structured, investable readiness.
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Our flagship framework. We help informal and semi-formal business owners understand how money actually flows, separating personal survival from business performance. We build structure without forcing rigid corporate models. Ideal for: Market traders, service providers, and grassroots SMEs.
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Strong businesses start with strong foundations. We plug profit leaks, optimise day-to-day workflows, and implement SOPs so your team operates like a high-performing unit. Impact: Recently helped an FMCG brand cut production time by 28% by introducing new inventory systems.
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As your business grows, the stakes get higher. We work directly with founders to provide detailed business audits, growth roadmaps, and investor-readiness strategies.
Impact: Recently helped an agri-processing startup secure a $150k investment by refining their operational plan.
The Diaspora Capital & Business Forum 2026
The capital already exists. The structure does not.
DCBF 2026 is a curated strategic forum bridging diaspora capital and investment-ready businesses in Sierra Leone. Built around business readiness, execution, and practical pathways.
Meet the Architect
Mahawa Kamara is a Private Sector Development Specialist, an entrepreneur, and the Founder of Connoisseur Consults. With over a decade of experience bridging UK diaspora capital and West African markets, she is a leading voice on ensuring regional economic growth is grounded in solid operational infrastructure.
Having bootstrapped her own product brand, The Soap Connoisseur, and facilitated structural training for World Bank-backed youth initiatives, Mahawa doesn't just theorise about the informal economy, she builds the systems that formalise it.
Most recently serving as Interim Managing Director for Corporate Connect Sierra Leone, she led company-wide restructuring and operational reform. Today, Mahawa champions clarity, structure, and ownership, helping diaspora entrepreneurs and women-led ventures build the future of African enterprise.
Ecosystem Insights & Reports
The Invisible Engine
While 85-90% of Sierra Leone's workforce is employed in the informal sector, this massive economic engine largely runs off the grid. In this 2026 strategic report, Connoisseur Consults breaks down the "Opacity Trap"—the cycle where a lack of business records leads to a lack of visibility, locking high-potential entrepreneurs out of global capital. Read our three-pronged strategy for building the "layer before tech" and preparing grassroots businesses for true digital scalability.
From Street to Structure: The $5.6B Economy
Sierra Leone’s informal economy contributes an estimated 64.5% to the national GDP and employs over 80% of the workforce. Yet, this massive $5.6 billion engine remains largely invisible and unprotected. This white paper uncovers the systemic breakdowns causing this wealth to evaporate and introduces the proprietary Systems for Informal Wealth™ framework to transition market vendors into investable, structured enterprises
The old models of "aid" and "remittances" are weakening. A new Sierra Leone is emerging, built on resilient enterprises and structured capital. We exist to help builders move from hustle to infrastructure.
Join the diaspora investors, local founders, and institutional partners who read our weekly breakdowns on policy shifts, operational tools, and the structures needed for national prosperity.