By Jarrah Kawusu-Konte
May 8th, 2025
For much of the ten defining years of our nation’s democratic journey, I served as the manager and later director of communications at State House during the APC-led government. 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 disorganized, 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, is 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, molded 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 peace building, 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 and 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.
He 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
Please stay tuned for my 10-part series, “A Window to Dr. Ibrahim Bangura’s Struggles, Dedication, and Road to Leadership.
