ABDULAI SIDIBAY: Entrepreneur & Philanthropist With A Difference
By Mohamed Jalloh
Few Sierra Leoneans would dare to invest in their country of birth after accumulating fortunes from their business initiatives.
 But, Mr Abdulai Sidibay is a young man that is totally different.
Mr Sidibay who is popularly known as CDB could be singled out for his patriotism due to his multi-diversification investment to better the lives of his compatriots by providing decent employment for youths in Sierra Leone.
Mr Sidibay was born in the diamond ferrous rich district of Kono in Eastern Sierra Leone.
 He attended the Islamic Secondary School in Koindu in the same district.
Mr Sidibay got married in 2003 and is blessed with five   beautiful children (four boys and a daughter).
Mr Sidibay has successfully thrived in business by engaging in the buying and selling of precious diamond stones.
He lives in Sierra Leone and Dubai in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) but also shuttles between Angola and other countries around the world.
His love for the Kono people in his district of birth prompted his taking over of the management of the biggest football team in the district; Diamond Stars FC which is also among the most successful football clubs in the entire country.
Even though the club`s supporters are primarily in Kono, it can also boast of one of the largest fan base in the country.
In the midst of Covid-19 that witnessed the halt of all football leagues in the country, Mr Sidibay has ensured the smooth running of the club by paying the salaries of players, officials and other employees of the Diamond Stars.
His vision for business diversification is seen in the establishment of Sierra Transportation which is an international bus system that does not only serve his home country but the entire Mano river Union (including Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone and Cote d`Ivoire).
In his desire to establish more business footprints in his home country, Mr Sidibay has established the Sierra Star Group, which is a business conglomerate that operates in logistics, drilling and heavy machinery coupled with an investment in water production and the manufacture of other beverages.  Â
When the operations of the Sierra Star Group located at Joetown Road Off Waterloo Highway would have taken off, thousands of Sierra Leoneans would be employed in different capacities as senior and intermediate personnel.
His investments in Sierra Leone would go a long way in bridging the unemployment gap particularly among the actively energetic youthful population.
