Babadi kamara’s valuable contribution to President Julius Maada Bio’s projects is second to none. Kamara does not spare his resources for the projects launched by government especially the human capital development anchored on quality education, health and energy.
His investment in Sierra Leone’s football, youth empowerment, politics and other aspects of national development places him in a class of his own. Mr Kamara has sustained local premier leagues through bailout packages offered to cash trapped football clubs. He lends such helping hand out of love and passion for football as the game will play only when there is money and sponsorship.
No football club can take part in any tournament without the required resources. Players have to be paid and their welfare needs catered for, jerseys and footwear have to be provided by club owners, pitches for practices have to be maintained among other responsibilities.
Babadi Kamara and President Maada Bio
These functions, no doubt, call for money and support; no game plays without such facilities. Since most of the clubs could not sufficiently dispense the financial burdens, Kamara comes in to capacitate the clubs by way of finances and other forms of support. His coming to Sierra Leone’s football created a fundamental turning point in the profession.
He does not only ensure that the game plays but also injects pump and pageantry to the country’s soccer. He was the first to sign players for appreciable amounts which attracts many others. Maximum signing for a footballer with Babadi’s presence now stands at NLe200, 000 or Le200m (two hundred million Leones) the equivalent of US$1,300.
Before his appearance in Sierra Leone’s soccer, the highest signing was NLe20, 000 or Le20m (twenty million Leones) the equivalent of US$1,300, a situation that discourages talented players from the pitch.
Now, the most skilled footballers would like to play local leagues, and many others find it difficult to leave. By his unwavered contribution to football, Babadi Kamara seems ready to lift Sierra Leone from the bottom rungs of football ranking to a higher level.
He is also determined for Sierra Leone to regain her glory through football. Few countries in the world have economically improved owing to their investment in football.
Brazil, Spain, Italy, Germany, and England are among few countries in Europe that have prospered and flourished through investment in football. Kamara’s contribution to the politics of the day is also worthwhile and worth mentioning. The need for peace and security is the basis of government. Babadi Kamara’s persistent quest for peace in Sierra Leone resonates with the actual political ideal.
His recent anti-violence campaign in the Southern region is highly noticeable. At a time Sierra Leone needs peace and reconciliation, Kamara is outside there preaching peace to the young generation. He dissuades them from violence, and makes them work towards peace as it is only peace that can keep the country going.
By taking peace messages to the youth, he builds unyielding hope in them. Even the state is unsafe when people worry about peace. By his peace-building effort, he holds the state together. If Sierra Leone had four of Babadis, the country would have, long ago, reached her peak of development. Many Sierra Leoneans can attest to this claim.
He is a man who strongly believes in the philosophy of philanthropy evidenced by his good works. Those who have worked with or passed through him still narrate and celebrate his good stories about his determination to develop humanity.
Who is Babadi Kamara?
The name: ‘Babadi Kamara’ is a household name in Sierra Leone. He is the Chief Executive Officer of Bo Rangers Football Club which he picked up from a dying state. The club was cash trapped, and hardly won trophies.
No management structure exists, and thus tagged as a club in crisis. With his wealth of experience and philanthropy, he gave life to Bo Rangers, and today the team is a force to reckon with. He does not spare his resources to keep the football club going at a pace beyond measure. When Mr Kamara took over as Team Manager, he inherited a cash balance of less than Le10m .
In his leadership, the club generated Le1 billion inter alia, from gate proceeds, donations by well-meaning supporters and members of the club, sales of jerseys and support from FIFA/CAF Corona Relief to clubs through SLFA (Sierra Leone Football Association).
Bo Rangers is today the envy of all clubs in Sierra Leone: Under Babadi’s tenure as team manager, the club has been at the African Championship for close to six years bringing home laurels.
The football club has also won trophies in the local leagues with the trophy this year being the latest. The club is also set to win the 2023 local league champiuonship. Transparency and accountability is a hallmark of Mr Kamara’s administration.
He allows people to see everything that takes place in the club, and readily provides accounts, facts and figures at anytime they are demanded.
Mr Kamara had a vision, when he took over, defined by three key objectives: to structure the club, have a club house and secretariat and win the league championship. These three objectives were achieved as he let nothing stood his way.
Bo Rangers Football Club is today mentioned in the same breath as those giants in the sub-region. By observing the principles of fair play, the club is sure to reach the zenith in the soccer world. The height Bo Rangers has attained is not a stroke of fortune but through good planning and implementation.
The team won the highest honour in Sierra Leone’s local premier league competitions when it clinched the trophy, this year. It is a rare moment and achievement for the young football club in Sierra Leone. Babadi Kamara is also the Team Manager for the national team, Leone Stars.
Football officials also acknowledged and recognised the great role Babadi played to ensure that Leone Stars re-appeared at African Cup Of Nations (AFCON), the highest tournament, this year after 20 years. Apart from his football ventures, Babadi Kamara also has an established presence in the private sector.
He is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) for Leadway Company which has led the way for many years. Leadway is a dominant force in the timber trade, and has yielded heavy dividends to government and the people of Sierra Leone. Little wonder that he has won the respect and admiration of top government officials including the nation’s highest office.
He dispenses the financial obligations he owes to government by paying taxes, and helping in finances in bad times and in times of crises
Babadi’s Philanthropy
Mr Kamara is not only a successful businessman but a celebrated philanthropist. A good number of students in various universities and colleges have tremendously benefitted from his unreserved kindness. He has offered several scholarships to students in different academic fields within and outside Sierra Leone.
A number of students have also left for China to pursue different courses as he foots the bill.
They will soon return home when they shall have completed their courses to give back to society. Investment in education is one that has no equal world. It is a lifetime investment whose results are hardly seen in the short-run, but they make the nation glitter in the long-term.
No development takes place in a country deficient in education. It is also a truism that no country rises above its literacy standards. Educationists have posited that no country can develop if its literacy standard does not reach 40% and above. Babadi’s offer of scholarship boosts government’s human capital development pronounced in 2018.
On his own, Babadi Kamara has constructed a standard stadium in Sierra Leone’s second capital, Bo city. The stadium is now a suitable alternative to the National stadium in Freetown.It can host an international match making Kamara a man of the moment in his homeland as home is home. Every Sierra Leonean wished to see him.
Construction of the stadium has created jobs for thousands of jobless men and women in Sierra Leone. Job creation is a big and positive contribution to Sierra Leone’s economy.In designing the building, the Bo Rangers team manager was conscious about providing comfort to the people staying or visiting despite budget constraints.
Since he was keen about transforming his vision into reality, Mr Kamara spent sleepless nights in writing and sending proposals to organisations as well as individuals in trying to raise funds for such an ambitious project.
Babadi Kamara has also prepared and produced football stars which he met nowhere, but had taken them somewhere. He has worked hard to ensure that local talents fly high Sierra Leone’s flag in faraway countries. Many of these footballers are today making fortunes they have never dreamed of. The good works endear Babadi Kamara to many Sierra Leoneans.
He enjoys a rosy relationship with the public, government and grassroot. Mr Kamara’s good works do not stop there. His philanthropy transcends the bounds of his own football club. In years to come, he will do wonders if he gets the necessary support and cooperation.
To be contd.