SLDN was borne out of the Sierra Leone Investment Forum, which was held in London on 4th June 2005. The conference was an initiative of Sierra Leoneans living in the UK. Working with international partners, it brought together non-governmental organisations and representatives from various GoSL ministries, as they sought to find sustainable solutions to development in Sierra Leone.
One of the recommendations from the Forum was the need to develop an online portal which will provide comprehensive and much needed investment information on Sierra Leone.