By: Abu H. Kargbo| Makeni City
The Dr. Ibrahim Bangura (DIB) Movement has announced a total prize package of NLe130, 000 for its 2026 National School Essay Competition, aimed at promoting peace, national cohesion and civic responsibility among schoolchildren across Sierra Leone.
Held under the theme “Love Over Hate: The Gateway to National Development,” the competition seeks to encourage young people to reflect on the importance of love, unity, tolerance and mutual respect in building a peaceful and prosperous nation.
The initiative also complements the government’s efforts to improve the quality of education by encouraging students to develop critical thinking, express their views and propose practical solutions to national challenges.
The competition is open to currently enrolled primary and secondary school students across the country. Participants are expected to demonstrate how love, unity and respect can serve as foundations for peace, cooperation and inclusive national development, particularly in addressing divisive politics, tribalism and ethnic polarization.
For the primary school category, participants are required to write essays of no more than 550 words on the topic: “If Every Child Chose Love Over Hate, What Would Sierra Leone Be Like?”
The winner in this category will receive NLe25, 000, while the first runner-up will take home NLe15, 000 and the second runner-up NLe10, 000.
In the secondary school category, participants will write essays of up to 1,000 words on the topic: “Love Over Hate: The Role of Young People in Building a Peaceful and United Sierra Leone.”
The winner will receive NLe40, 000, with NLe25, 000 awarded to the first runner-up and NLe15, 000 to the second runner-up.
All winners will also receive certificates of excellence and special recognition. The organizers have indicated that submissions will undergo a vetting process to ensure their originality and verify that they are not AI-generated.
Entries should be submitted in PDF or Word format via email to loveoverhatesl@gmail.com on or before Friday, December 18, 2026.
The DIB Movement is led by Dr. Ibrahim Bangura, a peacebuilding expert, development consultant, politician and Associate Professor of Peace and Conflict Studies at Fourah Bay College, University of Sierra Leone.
In one of his recent contributions to peacebuilding, titled “We Can Be Whole Again: Let Us Unite Sierra Leone,” Dr. Bangura emphasised the importance of national unity through understanding, accepting and respecting the identities and differences of others.
“Our diversity of tribes, languages, and traditions is not a weakness but a strength,” he stated.
He further highlighted the importance of investing in young people, describing them as central to achieving lasting national unity.
“When young people are educated, employed, and empowered, they can rise above tribalism and political manipulation,” Dr. Bangura noted.
He also stressed the need to strengthen the justice sector and improve governance as essential pillars of national healing, ensuring that every citizen enjoys protection, fairness and equal treatment.
“By standing together, forgiving the past, and building a shared future, we can be whole again as a nation—a strong, peaceful, and united Sierra Leone for generations to come,” he said.
The national essay competition underscores Dr. Bangura’s continued commitment to peacebuilding and national cohesion. It also comes as he pursues his ambition to become the All People’s Congress (APC) presidential flagbearer.