Jarrah Kawusu-Konte: Sierra Leone Telegraph: 10 May 2025:
For much of the ten defining years of Sierra Leone’s democratic journey, I served as the Manager and later Director of Communications at State House during the APC-led government. (Photo above: Dr Ibrahim Bangura).
I was in the engine room, crafting messages, defending policies, articulating our development vision, and rallying support for a party I deeply believed in. I did so out of an unwavering belief in the potential of the APC to transform Sierra Leone.
But when the APC lost the 2018 elections, something in me went quiet. Like many faithful comrades, I became disillusioned. The noise, the factionalism, the recycling of rhetoric without renewal, it all felt stale. I could no longer summon the energy to defend what felt lost in soul and direction.
My silence was not abandonment, it was grief. Grief for a party that had become a shadow of its true self. It had become clouded and disorganised driven by impure motives and internal strife.
And then came Dr. Ibrahim Bangura
From the moment he expressed his intention to lead the APC, I felt something shift. It wasn’t just political, it wasn’t personal. It was a breath of fresh air. A new perspective. A restoration of belief.
For the first time in years, I heard a voice that didn’t echo the past but pointed toward a future. He made me feel again. Not just hope, but purpose.
That is why I have taken to my keyboard again as a believer in the vision of a young man who, though not a newcomer, he’s fresh.
Dr. Bangura’s life is not the polished tale of privilege. It is the unfiltered, gritty story of a Sierra Leonean who has known hunger, illness, heartbreak, and hopelessness. He didn’t inherit power, he earned purpose.
Raised in the depths of struggle, moulded by sacrifice, and lifted by vision, Dr. Bangura has lived the very pain he now seeks to heal.
He is not offering promises; he is offering himself
Through his work in peacebuilding, justice reform, and regional security, Dr. Bangura has walked corridors of power across Africa but never lost his connection to the dusty streets of Mambolo or the despair of Freetown’s urban poor. He has buried a mother, a brother, carried a nation’s burdens, and still found reason to smile and serve.
When he speaks of justice, it’s because he was once denied it. When he calls for unity, it’s because he has spent his life stitching together broken communities. His credentials are real, but his humility is what sets him apart. He is not seeking the presidency as a crown, but as a cross.
Dr Ibrahim Bangura seeks to heal, unite and build
This article marks the beginning of a new conversation. A series that will unveil both a political campaign and a human journey, rooted in sacrifice, driven by service, and inspired by a singular mission: to renew the APC and restore Sierra Leone.
This is why I have returned to the public square. This is why I speak again with conviction. Because in Dr. Ibrahim Bangura, I see the leader we’ve been waiting for. The leader who brings us full circle, not back to where we were, but forward to where we must go.
Let this be our moment of reflection. Our moment of courage. Our moment of clarity. Let the journey begin.
“When the roots are deep, there is no reason to fear the wind.” — African Proverb
I wonder which one of Ernest relatives is this?
What achievements has he done. Mickley Mouse PHD.
When Dr I.Bangura declared to lead the APC, is like ushering a bouncing baby boy on planet Earth, who is unblemished, energetic, courageous, selfless and developmentally oriented.
With such a person willing to serve the nation is a life time opportunity that we cannot afford to lose. Hence, all is expected of us, is to rally round him as the messier had finally come to salvage us from the pathetic and nefarious activities that has crumbled MAMA SALONE.
When shall we see the back of SLPP and APC? No one is yet to convince me that both parties are not a liability to Sierra Leone and have not overstayed their welcome. They prey on the illiteracy and gullibility of the people mercilessly taking advantage of the tectonic fault lines of the country’s demographics. They are just churning out nouveau-rich empty vessels adept at following the money and leaving behind in their wake a tale of two sets of people: one morphing from rags to riches in record time and the other set – the majority – being dragged deeper and deeper into a despicable sink hole of poverty, penury and pauperism.
Signs of the snake oil salesmen are everywhere. From the outset, they dare not address the current burning issues people care about- salient issues affecting immensely the lives, livelihoods and international image of Sierra Leoneans both at home and abroad.
Before I leave, could dynastic Kawusu-Konteh advise his man – in case there is any election to be held in the near term – not to use any slogans a la the misnomer “New Direction”, declare his assets publicly to avoid yet another rags-to-riches story and vow to work for free for the people of Sierra Leone only claiming expenses and not a salary or per diem? Otherwise, we could just as well have Jagaban as the next leader. At least he already has a few bucks with him in the pocket so he only needs to scrounge a few more bucks off the poor suffering people of Sierra Leone to fill the pockets. We have tried the “bookman den” and the soldiers to no good so why not pun on a “munku” who is not ashamed to say speaking a foreign language such as English is not his forte but could use commonsense, offer integrity and business acumen in managing the affairs of state. I could have jumped on his bandwagon if he was trying to lead a UK Reform-like party in Sierra Leone.
As Dr Bangura runs for the flagbearer, I hope we can all come together to support a candidate who can truly represent our party’s values and unite us for the upcoming challenges
A well-written, well-argued and moving piece of political support and advocacy for an up-and-coming national political leader. I must say, though, that this line from the article leaves me wondering – doubting, even: “For the first time in years, I heard a voice that didn’t echo the past but pointed toward a future. He made me feel again. Not just hope, but purpose.” Indeed, how can one move forward and bring about much-needed change by putting one’s troubled past to rest? Is such a past not, in fact, the very factor that has given birth to one’s equally troubled present? Does the possibility of a new political turn not hinge on first coming to terms with that troubled past, whose dark, ugly shadow still lingers for all to see and live with? True national political healing begins with a true and courageous diagnosis of a long-standing and ever-present national political malaise. Beware the proverbial ostrich burying its head in the sand. The lessons of the past and the present must be acknowledged first and then integrated into a purposeful vision for the future.