History
Bakadies International Ltd was initially started by its proprietor Abu Bakarr Kamara and, his wife, Imambay Kadie Kamara from their home. The primary aim was to provide a flexiblen and hassle-free means for Sierra Leoneans living in the UK to send money for their relatives and friends back home.
The business was initiated at the height of the crisis in Sierra Leone following the AFRC coup of 1997, when the country was subjected to serious socio-economic problems caused by the international embargo imposed by the United Nations.
The start-up capital of what is today Bakadies International Ltd was so small, according to Mr and Mrs Bakarr Kamara, that they never believed it will take them to this position in less than three years. They however said that this has happened not due to any form of miracle but hard work, sincerity and reliability. They said this is why their customer base line has been growing at a very fast pace.
The Kamaras moved to the popular Agora market at Peckham in 1998, when they realised their home could no longer accommodate the hordes of customers streaming in to send money to their loved ones in Sierra Leone. It was in this market at 137-147 Peckham Rye Lane that they opened Bakadies International, the name being a blend of the couple, Bakarr and Kadie.
During this period Bakadies International Ltd has increased the services it offers. Services such as Import & Export allowing their customers to send rice and other food products to Sierra Leone and other countries. They also offer cheap international calls to different countries all over the world at an affordable rate. As well as photocopying and fax services which is based at our premises. Not forgetting if you get thirsty while using our services we sell ice cold drinks."We’ve grown very fast because every day we get new customers introduced to us by those who have got satisfactory treatment transacting business with us. Sometimes we even give discount in the commission we charge to some of our old customers which encourage them to bring others to us", said Bakadies International General Manager, Kadie Kamara.
She was however quick to emphasise that the secret of their growing popularity was their "best exchange rates, reasonable commission and reliability".
They soon began to transfer money to other West African countries such as Guinea (Conakry), and the Gambia, where Sierra Leoneans fleeing the crisis in Sierra Leone were already maintaining strong presence. Now the group has agents not only in London but also throughout the United Kingdom and elsewhere in Europe and the United States of America.
"We are maintaining accounts with Barclays and Nation-wide and we are actually encouraging our customers to pay the amount they wish to transfer into one of these accounts and inform us immediately. We transfer the amount as soon as we get confirmation from the Bank", said the company’s Chief Executive and Managing Director, Abu Bakarr Kamara.
"And this procedure has been working quite well as it saves the precious time of our customers and makes room for much more greater speed in transactions; in fact most of our customers prefer, and seem to be quite happy with it", he added.
The Manager at the Bakadies International Forex Bureau in London, said this method has been particularly useful in other European countries and other cities in the United Kingdom, where Sierra Leoneans pay the monies they wish to transfer into the company’s specified account and inform them immediately by telephone, supplying the destination and name of the recipient.
"When people pay into one of our accounts they send us the bank receipt by email or fax to show that they have paid and we in turn effect the transfer immediately," said Kadie Kamara.
