AWOL Revives National Achievement Awards With Focus on National Contribution
All Works of Life has relaunched its National Achievement Awards, with the aim of reviving a programme designed to recognise contributions to Sierra Leonean society across professions and sectors.
The organisation announced the return of the awards Sept. 24 at a press conference in Aberdeen, Freetown. The 2026 ceremony is scheduled for Dec. 27 at Bintumani Hotel under the theme “National Cohesion for Peace and Development.”
AWOL National Chairman Ahmed Sahid Nasralla said the awards are intended to recognise individuals, businesses, institutions and organisations whose work contributes to society and national development.
The renewed programme places recognition at the centre of AWOL’s broader model of encouraging citizens to contribute to national development, rather than limiting recognition to prominent public figures.
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AWOL traces its origins to 2001, when a group of young Sierra Leoneans from different backgrounds came together after the civil war with an emphasis on giving back to society. The organisation says its formation was influenced by the self-help approach associated with postwar development efforts.
Historical accounts differ slightly on the precise timing of the organisation’s formal inauguration. AWOL’s current website says it was founded in 2001-02 and officially inaugurated by the late President Ahmad Tejan Kabbah about a year after its formation. A 2019 account by then-AWOL President Anthony Navo Jr. placed Kabbah’s official launch at the British Council in May 2001.
The organisation’s awards programme has a longer record than the 2026 relaunch. Contemporary reporting shows AWOL publicly launching its 2012 National Achievement Awards after a decade of activity, while a 2011 awards speech described that year’s ceremony as the organisation’s 10th annual awards event.
AWOL says its philosophy is built around putting Sierra Leone first and giving back to society. Its stated mission is to mobilise the skills, resources and goodwill of Sierra Leoneans at home and abroad for social and national development.
The organisation has also described its work as extending beyond awards. Its historical accounts cite education support, health interventions and community programmes, including assistance to hospitals and vulnerable communities.
The awards have previously recognised people working in areas including public service, education, business and other fields. In 2019, for example, the Anti-Corruption Commission reported that its commissioner, Francis Ben Kaifala, received AWOL’s Public Servant of the Year award.
The 2026 relaunch therefore marks a return of an established recognition programme rather than the creation of a new initiative. AWOL says the broader objective remains to encourage service, recognise achievement and promote national development through participation across different sectors of society.