Sierra Leone must move beyond simply preserving its hard-won peace and focus on transforming that peace into meaningful development, social justice, opportunity and a stronger sense of national belonging, renowned international peace scholar, Prof. Dr. Ibrahim Bangura has said.

Dr. Bangura made the call on Monday, September 21, 2026, while delivering the keynote address at the International Day of Peace commemoration organised by the Peace Society of Fourah Bay College, University of Sierra Leone, under the theme, *_“Peace Is a Choice We Make Every Day."_* His keynote address was titled *_“Building Sustainable Peace to Enhance Social Development.”_*

In a wide-ranging address, Dr. Bangura argued that the true measure of peace should not be limited to the absence of war, but should be seen in what a nation is able to build because peace exists.
He said peace should enable children to learn, families to plan, businesses to grow, institutions to strengthen and communities to rebuild trust.

For Sierra Leone, Dr. Bangura observed, the question was therefore not only whether the country could preserve its peace, but what it would build with that peace.

Drawing on his experience in peacebuilding, including field engagements in countries such as South Sudan, Dr. Bangura stressed that sustainable peace must ultimately be people-centred. Peace agreements and security measures, he said, must translate into tangible improvements in people's lives through education, livelihoods, justice, healthcare and economic opportunity.
He identified justice, opportunity, inclusion, strong institutions and social cohesion as five essential foundations of sustainable peace, while challenging the country to ask not only how much development it was achieving, but who was benefiting and who was being left behind.

Dr. Bangura also called for a responsible culture of democratic citizenship, urging Sierra Leoneans to learn to disagree without dehumanising one another. He cautioned against allowing ethnicity, regional identity or political affiliation to determine how citizens view one another.

Addressing young people, he rejected the notion that they were merely “leaders of tomorrow,” emphasising that they were already citizens and important agents of peace and social transformation. He urged them to think critically, verify information, engage respectfully with differing views and resist inheriting divisions that could limit their future.

He further challenged Fourah Bay College and the wider academic community to strengthen their contribution to conflict prevention, early warning, mediation, peace research and youth leadership, while drawing on Sierra Leone's own experience and lessons from its difficult peacebuilding journey.

The occasion carried an added personal significance for Dr. Bangura, as September 21 also marked his birthday. Reflecting on the coincidence, he said birthdays should inspire not only a counting of years, but reflection on what one had learned, whom one had served and what one had helped to build.

In his concluding message, Dr. Bangura envisioned a Sierra Leone where diversity was a source of strength rather than division; where institutions earned public trust; where development reached every community; and where every citizen could say: “I belong here. My voice matters. My future matters. I have a stake in this country.”
He challenged Sierra Leoneans to give purpose to the peace they inherited by turning it into progress for present and future generations.
“Peace is not simply something we inherit. It is something we build, protect and renew,” Dr. Bangura said.

His final appeal was for citizens to choose dialogue over dehumanisation; inclusion over exclusion; justice over vengeance; evidence over misinformation; civic responsibility over indifference; and opportunity over hopelessness.
Peace must not merely be preserved. It must be given purpose; and transformed into progress.

*_DIB Movement Media and Comms Team_*