All Works of Life (AWOL) has brought back its National Achievement Awards after a hiatus since the last ceremony in 2019, unveiling the committee that will manage the 2026 edition.

The relaunch took place on Thursday, 24 September, at Roof Garden on Aberdeen in Freetown. The awards are intended to honour individuals and institutions whose work has made a meaningful contribution to Sierra Leone.

AWOL Chairman Ahmed Sahid Nasralla said the return of the programme marked a renewed effort to recognize achievement across society. “After a period away, the National Achievement Awards are back,” he said.

Nasralla said the awards were built around the recognition of people and organizations making a difference. He said the programme should reflect contributions from all walks of life, including petty traders, teachers, nurses, farmers, journalists, security personnel, civil servants, business leaders and public officials.

Committee to oversee selection

AWOL introduced the National Achievement Awards Committee, chaired by Dr. Fatu Taqi. The committee is expected to oversee nominations, voting and final decisions for the 2026 awards.

Nasralla said the committee would help protect the credibility and fairness of the process, allowing recipients and the public to have confidence in the results. Public nominations are expected to form part of the selection process, although AWOL said full details of the programme had not yet been formally announced.

Taqi pledged that the committee would operate with independence, integrity and fairness. She told committee members to “stand with the conscience and serve with the integrity that is expected of you.”

She also said nominees should be assessed on the work they had done rather than their social class, region, religion, education, gender, skin colour or other aspects of their background. “It’s about the work that you have done,” she said.

Recognition and national contribution

The 2026 awards will commemorate the 10th anniversary of the late Ambassador Moseray Fadika, according to Nasralla. AWOL also said it intends to make the ceremony shorter and better organized, but the date and award categories have not been announced.

Yvonne Heroe, Director of Monitoring and Evaluation at the Independent Commission for Peace and National Cohesion, linked national achievement to peace and stability. “National achievement can only be realized in the soil of peace,” she said.

Members of AWOL, committee representatives and journalists attended the relaunch. The committee includes representatives from professional, civic, youth, disability, media and peace-related organizations.

Nasralla also referred to AWOL’s previous community work, including the donation of an X-ray machine and a generator to Connaught Hospital’s X-ray department. AWOL members also volunteered to clean and paint the department.

He said AWOL’s second Annual General Meeting, held in December 2025, adopted a new AWOL Global Constitution and reforms focused on governance, transparency, accountability and unity. The organization’s annual School Feeding and Awards Programme is expected to resume in 2027.