The Ignition Hour

25/08/2026

SEVEN YEARS OF SERVICE. THREE TOP 5 CONTINENTAL RECOGNITIONS.

Craving 4 Development, The Ignition Hour and Aminata Kane Balde have been nominated respectevely as Top 5 Entrepreneur Support Organisation (ESO) Champion of the Year, Top 5 Incubator Champion of the Year and Top 5 Immigrant Ecosystem Builder Champion of the Year by the Africa Startup Ecosystem Builders (ASEB).

For seven years, we have been building.

We were building because young people needed opportunities.

Because entrepreneurs with brilliant ideas needed someone to believe in them, strengthen their businesses, connect them to markets and finance, and walk with them from survival to growth.

Because returning migrants needed a real chance to rebuild their lives, dignity and livelihoods.

We have built platforms, convened ecosystems, opened doors, connected entrepreneurs to opportunities, experimented with new approaches and launched initiatives that sometimes sounded too audacious before they became real.

What began as a platform became a movement, and today it is evolving into something even bigger through Craving Ventures: a new way of building not only businesses, but the founders behind them.

Today, that journey has received THREE Top 5 recognitions at the Africa Startup Ecosystem Builders Awards 2026.

🏆 Aminata Kane Balde, Top 5 Immigrant Ecosystem Builder Champion of the Year, representing Senegal 🇸🇳 and Sierra Leone 🇸🇱.

🚀 The Ignition Hour — Top 5 Incubator Champion of the Year, representing Sierra Leone 🇸🇱.

🌍 Craving 4 Development — Top 5 Entrepreneur Support Organisation (ESO) Champion of the Year, representing Sierra Leone 🇸🇱.

From 1,786 nominations across 52 African countries, we are standing among the final five in three categories.

But there is something we know with absolute certainty:

There would be no C4D without the people who built it with us.
There would be no Ignition Hour without the founders who trusted us.
And there would be no recognition without the communities, staff, partners, mentors, friends and believers who kept showing up.

This recognition carries all of your fingerprints.

And to everyone who voted for us in the previous round: YOU GOT US HERE. ❤️

Now we need you one more time.

Let us take seven years of service all the way.

Vote for Aminata Kane Balde.
Vote for The Ignition Hour.
Vote for Craving 4 Development.
Let’s bring ALL THREE home. 🏆🏆🏆

Voting closes 15 September 2026 but let us not wait till then.



The voting page is here: Vote in the ASEB 2026

Meet the 145 official ASEB Awards 2026 finalists across 29 categories. Verify your email and cast one vote per category.

27/04/2026

Happy 65th Independence Day, Sierra Leone!
Today is both a celebration of sovereignty and a celebration of resilience. For 65 years, our nation has shown the world that with unity and determination, there is no limit to what we can achieve.
At Craving 4 Development, we are proud to be part of the Salone story. Through every lab, every huddle, and every partnership, we are working to turn our country's vast "potential" into "progress."
As we fly the Green, White, and Blue today, let’s recommit ourselves to building a Sierra Leone that shines brighter every year.
How are you celebrating today? Share your pride in the comments!