Partner Profile Q&A : GCI owners Kadie and Lamin Bah

At Cycla, we seek partners who share our vision for a more sustainable future and strive to create positive change in the world. We’re excited to introduce you to Global Clothing Industries (GCI), one of our longest-standing partnerships. We recently sat down with Lamin Bah, president and CEO, and Kadie Bah, vice president of sales and production at GCI, to hear more about how their business is growing and supporting their efforts to give back.

Lamin Bah

President/CEO Global Clothing Industries (GCI)

Q: Can you tell us a little about GCI? 

In 2006, we launched the company from a 20,000-square-foot facility with eight employees. Today, we operate two warehouses totaling 133,000 square feet with 150 employees. We export used clothing, shoes, industrial wiping rags, vintage, and accessories to more than 40 countries in Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, and North and South America. We work hard to make a difference in the world by keeping tons of used clothing out of landfills and providing developing communities with job opportunities. 

Q: You’ve done a great deal of impactful work in Sierra Leone since you started the Lamin and Kadie Bah Foundation. Can you tell us how you created the foundation? 

Giving back is in our DNA. We’re fortunate that the success of GCI has created opportunities for us to support children and families in Sierra Leone by providing education, healthcare and mentorship. The way the Foundation started was a bit serendipitous. When my grandmother became hospitalized for an illness I returned to Sierra Leone to be with her. This was during the pandemic, so I couldn’t visit her in the hospital. 

I was at home one day, waiting for a call from my grandmother’s nurse, and there was a knock on the gate outside our front door. It worried me because in Sierra Leone, when a family member passes it is customary for someone to approach your doorstep, gently knock and await your presence before telling you a loved one has passed. The act of personally delivering heartbreaking news about the passing of a family member holds great cultural significance and respect. It’s a tradition that stems from a deep sense of communal support and empathy. 

I made my way to the gate to find a group of women. I was relieved to know my grandmother was well, but I was curious about why the women were visiting my house. They explained that they wanted to talk with me, so I set up chairs in the yard, six feet apart. We spent hours talking. The women shared their stories and I learned that they were seeking financial support for businesses they were trying to start or grow. One woman was a nurse and needed money to buy medication so she could treat patients. Another woman sold eggs but could only buy a small amount. She would need to first sell a small amount of eggs to get the money to buy more. By the time she got to the market to replenish her stock, all of the eggs had been sold. 

I told the women that I would loan them the money interest-free, under a couple of conditions. First, they would need to pay the money back and second, I wanted to give them the tools to be successful by providing a mentor who could teach them how to run a successful business. 

Many of these women live in vulnerable communities and high-interest loans are often their only source of financial resources. That September, we loaned $10,000 to those 24 women and told them we would be back in January. They were grateful that we believed in them and thankful for the support, but the biggest impact came from something Kadie said to them.

Kadie told the women, “We are lending you this money to start or grow your own businesses, but you have to pay back the loan so we can then re-invest the money in the next group of women.” It really resonated with them that yes, they were getting the financial support they needed, but they were also unlocking an opportunity to help other women. The women thanked us for believing in them and said they would prove themselves, and they did. When we returned less than six months later, they paid back the entire loan. It was incredible.

Q: Can you share some of the Foundation’s projects?

Our mission is to transform underserved neighborhoods in Sierra Leone and Guinea into self-sustaining, prosperous communities by facilitating access to education, healthcare and mentorship. We believe education can combat poverty. Investing in our youth means investing in our future. With literacy rates below 50%, education is our top priority. So, we opened the Lamin and Kadie Bah Academy in Sierra Leone’s Bombali District. The Academy provides 350 children with free education, school supplies and uniforms. With a computer lab, 24-hour solar power grids and access to clean water, the school is a safe haven where children can learn and prepare for the future. 

Access to healthcare services is another issue, particularly in rural areas, where facilities are scarce and transportation is a common challenge. Many people have to walk for miles to get to the nearest clinic. Sierra Leone has a very low doctor-to-patient ratio, with only 0.2 doctors per 10,000 people. Many healthcare facilities are poorly equipped and staffed, and access to essential medicines is often limited. According to the World Health Organization, Sierra Leone has some of the highest maternal and child mortality rates in the world, with one in 17 women dying from pregnancy-related causes and one in seven children dying before their fifth birthday. This is largely due to a lack of access to basic healthcare services such as prenatal care, skilled birth attendants and vaccinations. We’re helping put healthcare within reach through medical mission trips, facilitating access to medicine, providing medical care and training local nurses.

Access to clean water is also a problem. According to the United Nations, only 51 percent of Sierra Leone's population has access to improved drinking water sources, which are sources protected from contamination, such as piped water, boreholes and protected dug wells. We’ve built more than ten wells in West Africa through contributions from generous donors.

Q: What are you most excited about when you think about the future of GCI and the Lamin and Kadie Bah Foundation?

In recent years, the export of used clothing has become an increasingly important industry worldwide. In the past, people have had negative perceptions of second-hand clothing, but fortunately, the benefits of exporting used clothing are becoming more widely understood. People also understand that the value of exporting used clothing extends beyond its positive environmental impact of reducing waste.  

In exporting used clothing, we bring significant economic benefits to the countries that import it. People in importing countries sell used clothing in their local markets, which provides their citizens with affordable clothing options and stimulates local economies by keeping money within the country.

We’re excited that more people are starting to recognize the value of this industry. As GCI grows, it provides us with more resources to support families through the Foundation.