People ask why I’m still in Sierra Leone and still so energetic and enthusiastic about it. For me it’s simple. I cannot imagine not being a part of Sierra Leone’s development. My decision to be here may seem to be all heart. Yes, that’s a huge part, but there’s head too. For every challenge I have faced, an opportunity has presented itself to do something about it. Of course I haven’t been able to do all of them, but I have shared ideas which have been used and I have also made my own impact.

Halfway through my tenure at NPA in 2012, I realised why we are the way we are. It saddened me and made me feel despondent. Going back to the UK or anywhere cold was never an option. I thought about working in Ghana and spending weekends in Nigeria. But deep down I knew I couldn’t. I was tied to Sierra Leone. I then made a decision to grow JobSearch and manage it full time. I put a two year plan together and on 31 December 2014, as NPA transitioned into EDSA and EGTC, I was prepared for life as the MD of my own company.

Here are a few reasons why I can’t leave, apart from my deep connection:

1. Those who know me know I don’t do domestic work and neither do I drive. As stressful as it is managing people, hiring them to do the things I don’t want to do lightens my load. I doubt I would have been able to do the same in the UK.

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2. In Sierra Leone, I feel like I belong completely. This is my home, my space. I have rights and privileges I won’t get anywhere else.

3. My mum lives here and won’t leave for anywhere else. I also want LM to have a connection with Sierra Leone, so that no matter where she goes she will always want to come back.

4. Sierra Leone is beautiful. The beach can solve almost every negative situation I find myself in. Lokomasama and Moyamba calm me like nowhere else.

5. I truly believe that I have grown this far and fast because I’m in Sierra Leone. In a space that doesn’t have much competition or discrimination, with the right mindset and confidence, you can do anything you want to. I may speak about this in depth in a later post.

That said, #SierraLeone isn’t for everyone and I understand why some people cannot deal with its challenges. They are so unnecessary, seemingly easy to solve and hurt deep sometimes. I feel that as people we need to reflect on how we contribute towards Sierra Leone’s state and what we can do, preferably collectively, to help make her a country we will all be proud of.

I thank God that I am able to take a break from Sierra Leone when we need time apart, but I’ll be right here until my end, my God’s grace.

Edleen Elba owns and manages JobSearch, a human resources management company based in Sierra Leone, which provides recruitment, skills development, and human resources advisory services to clients of all sizes and within all sectors. She is also the Founder/ Managing Director, Elba (SL) Ltd, Country Director for Platform Capital Investment Partners, and Member, Board of Directors Sierra Leone Local Content Agency.