Mr. Gbekie holds a bachelor’s degree (B.sc) in Accounting and Finance from the Utrecht Business School – the Netherlands and the University of Lethbridge – Canada, A post graduate diploma (P.gD) in Finance & Investment, Aberdeen Business School, Robert Gordon University Scotland. He also holds a Master of Science (M.Sc) in Financial Management, majoring in Investment management – Robert Gordon University Scotland.
Upon his return from Holland, Canada and Aberdeen, Scotland, Mr. Gbekie was head of Logistics and cost control at CELTEL (now AIRTEL). He went on to become Senior Relationship Manager and head of Local corporate portfolio of the Standard Chartered Bank (SL) Ltd.
Mr. Gbekie is an associate Lecturer in Investment, Advanced Corporate Finance and Strategic Financial Management at Fourah Bay College and the institute of public administration and management (IPAM), University of Sierra Leone for both undergraduate and postgraduate students.
Farrel Elliott is the Director of Investment Promotion at the Sierra Leone Investment and Export Promotion Agency (SLIEPA). He is a graduate from the University of Sierra Leone and the University of Maastricht, and additionally holds an MBA from Aston University in the United Kingdom.
Farrel has a background in private as well as public sector work having worked in private equity, investment climate reform and private sector development with various multilateral organisations such as the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), The Global Fund, The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), The International Finance Corporation (IFC), The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), and The Governments of Sierra Leone, Liberia and The Gambia and amongst others.
Mr Shiaka Kawa is responsible for providing strategic leadership in managing and directing SLIEPA to carry out its mandate for the development and promotion of Sierra Leone’s exports.
He has strong experience in working in both the public and private sectors in Sierra Leone. Prior to joining SLIEPA, he was a consultant in a leading consultancy firm in Sierra Leone where he provided consultancy services ranging from market development, business information, SME and Business Development Services to business management and strategic management at national and international levels to NGOs, Development Partners and Civil Society.
He was responsible for the development of the Sierra Leone National Export Strategy (2010-2015) for the Ministry of Trade and Industry.
Mr Kawa holds a first degree in the Sciences from Fourah Bay College, University of Sierra Leone and an MBA from the Blekinge Institute of Technology in Sweden. He has also participated in numerous trainings and workshops on Exporting, SME Development and Management Consulting.
Elizabeth Massally (Mrs) is a fellow member of the Association of Certified Chartered Accountant
(FCCA) of United Kingdom and ICASL Sierra Leone. She is also a fellow member of the Association of
Accounting Technician (FAAT) (UK). She also holds a Master’s degree in Business Administration (MBA).
She had her early education at the Annie Walsh Memorial Secondary School (AWMS) in Freetown. She then pursued a higher education at the Institute of Administration and Management (IPAM), Tower Hill, Freetown and then proceeded to the United Kingdom, and attended the Emile Woolf College of Accountancy and later the London College of Accountancy; where she obtained a professional qualification from the Association of Certified Chartered Accountant (ACCA). She then returned to Sierra Leone and attained a Master’s degree in Business Administration (MBA) at IPAM (University of Sierra Leone).
She has wealth of experience in Accounting, Finance and Administration. She previously worked for S.L Brewery, SIERRATEL, SLET and SLPMB.