Beyond the crown: Meet Sierra Leone’s Miss World 2026 representative, Ms. Mariyam Lorba Konneh.
Mariyam Lorba Konneh, Sierra Leone’s representative at the 73rd Miss World Pageant, has departed the country for Vietnam, where she will carry the national flag and represent Sierra Leone on the global stage.
But beyond the crown, gowns and pageantry, the 22-year-old has built a growing profile in media, entrepreneurship, education, humanitarian work, skills development and youth advocacy.
A former AYV Miss University Sierra Leone 2022, Mariyam is a media personality, entrepreneur and humanitarian who has also been recognised among the 50 Most Influential Women in Sierra Leone.
Her journey to Miss World brings together years of involvement in community service, women’s empowerment, youth development, media and business.
How Mariyam was crowned Miss World Sierra Leone 2026
Mariyam Lorba Konneh was officially crowned Miss World Sierra Leone 2026 to represent the country at the 73rd Miss World Pageant in Vietnam, which also forms part of Miss World’s 75th anniversary celebrations.
Her crowning followed a decision by the Board of Miss Sierra Leone Limited after it became clear that the 2026 Miss Sierra Leone national competition could not be completed in time to select and adequately prepare a new winner for this year’s international pageant.
According to the Miss Sierra Leone organisation, the decision was taken to ensure that Sierra Leone did not lose its place at Miss World, with the Board describing the country’s participation as both a franchise responsibility and an important opportunity for national pride, international visibility and continuity.
Mariyam was the First Runner-Up in the 2025 Miss Sierra Leone competition.
Under the organisation’s arrangement, two names are normally submitted to Miss World each year — the winner and the First Runner-Up. The First Runner-Up can be selected to represent the country when the reigning titleholder is unable to participate or perform her duties, or when a subsequent national competition cannot be organised in time.
The Miss Sierra Leone Board therefore unanimously endorsed Mariyam to serve as Sierra Leone’s official delegate to Miss World 2026.
A letter from the Miss World Organisation, signed by its Chairperson and CEO, Julia Morley CBE, confirmed the decision.
“Miss Mariyam Lorba Konneh has been selected to represent her country, Sierra Leone in the 73rd Miss World Pageant to be held in Vietnam,” the letter stated.
The pageant is expected to culminate in the grand finale in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, on September 5, 2026.
The Miss Sierra Leone organisation said the decision was intended to safeguard Sierra Leone’s long-standing participation in one of the world’s most recognised platforms for beauty, culture and humanitarian service.
The Board also praised Mariyam’s performance during the 2025 competition, pointing to her intelligence, grace, leadership qualities and commitment to community development.
It said her dedication to representing the aspirations of young Sierra Leonean women made her a suitable ambassador for the country at Miss World.
From Pujehun to the global stage
Mariyam hails from Pujehun District and has often spoken about how her background and upbringing shaped her values, resilience and desire to serve others.
She is currently a final-year Banking and Finance student at the Institute of Public Administration and Management, IPAM, University of Sierra Leone.
Alongside her university studies, Mariyam has pursued additional professional training. She holds a certificate in Computerised Accounting from BlueCrest College in Freetown and a certificate in Business and Accountancy from the International Business Management Institute in Berlin, Germany.
Her education and professional training have supported her work as a young entrepreneur and community advocate, particularly in programmes centred on women, girls and young people.
A media personality and storyteller
Mariyam has also developed a career in media.
She works as a presenter with AYV Media Empire and has appeared on the AYV MultiChoice DStv Channel 399, reaching audiences in Sierra Leone and other parts of Africa.
She is also the host of “Mariyam’s Ways”, a television platform created to give young people space to discuss their experiences, ambitions and challenges.
Through television and social media, she has used storytelling to discuss issues affecting young people, including education, gender, health, personal development and community life.
Her work in broadcasting has earned her recognition as an AYV media personality and female trailblazer.
Mariyam was also selected as the face of a documentary highlighting the need for hundreds of additional schools in remote communities in Sierra Leone. Her involvement in the project later gave her an opportunity to present the initiative internationally in China.
Entrepreneurship at a young age
Away from television and pageantry, Mariyam has also built businesses within the beauty, lifestyle and feminine-care sectors.
She is the founder and CEO of Mariyam’s Beauty Line, a beauty and skincare business celebrating natural African beauty.
She has also developed “All Your Phases”, a lifestyle brand focused on identity, self-love and personal transformation, as well as Mariyam’s Essentials, a feminine hygiene product line.
Her business activities are closely connected to her advocacy, particularly her work around menstrual hygiene, women’s dignity and access to opportunities.
Mariyam has been recognised by organisations including the Kids Advocacy Network for her leadership and work through Mariyam’s Ways and her other initiatives.
Building skills and businesses for young women
One of Mariyam’s major areas of work has been skills development and economic empowerment through the Mariyam’s Ways Foundation Human Capital Development Programme.
Through the initiative, young women from different parts of Sierra Leone have participated in the Mariyam’s Ways Business Start-up Training Programme, designed to equip them with practical skills and knowledge that can help them start and manage their own businesses.
Students from across the country have graduated from the programme as part of a broader effort to engage and empower young women and local communities.
The initiative is designed to create practical and measurable opportunities for women and young people while supporting wider goals around gender equality, youth empowerment and community development.
During the one-month training programme, participants received practical training in business planning, beauty-industry skills, marketing, leadership and entrepreneurship.
The programme was delivered by experienced businesswomen and certified trainers from Sierra Leone and Nigeria.
Participants also took part in the design and use of a practical beauty manual and toolkit aimed at helping them develop and manage their businesses effectively.
At the end of the programme, graduates received equipment and recognised certificates of professional competence to support them as they begin their own businesses.
For Mariyam, the programme is not simply about teaching beauty skills. It is designed to give young women a pathway towards economic independence, confidence and the ability to build sustainable businesses.
Through Mariyam’s Ways Foundation, she hopes to expand opportunities for women and young people while investing directly in communities.
The programme complements her wider advocacy around education, dignity, gender equality and access to opportunity.
A journey of giving that started at 12
Mariyam traces her humanitarian work back to childhood.
At the age of 12, she organised a school feeding activity on her birthday, sharing food with classmates who could not afford lunch.
According to Mariyam, that experience helped her understand the importance of giving and became one of the early influences behind her interest in humanitarian service.
Years later, that childhood experience developed into broader community work.
She has organised menstrual hygiene school tours in different communities, where young girls were engaged on menstrual health and provided with sanitary pads.
She has also taken part in feeding programmes for orphans and vulnerable people, including an initiative that provided food to more than 200 vulnerable people and children.
During festive periods, she has visited children’s homes, including My Home Orphanage, to spend time with children and share support.
Her youth engagement work has also included a mentorship programme in Lumley, Freetown, which brought together more than 300 young people for discussions on personal development, leadership and opportunities.
She has also participated in grassroots health conversations, particularly with women and girls living in low-income communities.
Menstrual health, women and girls
One of Mariyam’s strongest areas of advocacy is menstrual health.
She has repeatedly used her platform to speak about the difficulties faced by girls who lack access to sanitary products, information and safe spaces to discuss menstruation.
Her broader advocacy also touches on drug abuse and its impact on women and young people.
Mariyam says she wants to help create environments where girls can speak openly about issues affecting their health, education and future without fear of stigma.
Her approach is centred on dignity, education and access.
“As my platform for Miss Sierra Leone and Miss World, I want to be a national symbol of pride and purpose,” Mariyam said.
“I envisioned launching a girls’ empowerment initiative focused on leadership, menstrual health, and education access. My mission is to ensure that no girl is left behind due to silence, stigma, or poverty.”
For her, a crown should represent more than physical beauty.
“I want to redefine what it means to wear a crown — not just as a beauty queen but as a changemaker,” she said.
“I have committed my voice and efforts to youth empowerment, education advocacy, beauty, entrepreneurship, and community transformation.”
Mental wellness and the Wave Alliance
Mariyam has also worked around community wellbeing and mental health.
She serves as a goodwill ambassador for a community wellbeing and surf-therapy mental wellness programme linked to the United Sierra Leone Wave Alliance.
The alliance brings together community-based organisations working to introduce health and wellbeing programmes in Sierra Leone.
Mariyam has been part of efforts to engage institutions and private-sector organisations to support youth and community wellbeing and education programmes.
These engagements have included VIMTO International, AYV Media Empire, the Ministry of Tourism and Cultural Affairs, the National Tourist Board and the Ministry of Gender and Children’s Affairs.
The Sierra Leone Wave Alliance works with technical support from Waves for Change, an international non-profit that has pioneered the use of surfing as a health and wellbeing intervention.
Monitoring and evaluation support has also involved Edinburgh Napier University in the United Kingdom.
Environmental advocacy
Mariyam’s community work also extends to environmental awareness.
She has participated in climate-related programmes and beach clean-up activities aimed at encouraging young people and communities to take greater responsibility for their environment.
Her involvement reflects a wider belief that community development should address not only education and health, but also the environment in which people live.
Experience in pageantry
Before becoming Sierra Leone’s Miss World representative, Mariyam had already gained experience in pageantry.
She was crowned Miss Beacon in 2020 during her school years and later won AYV Miss University Sierra Leone in 2022.
She subsequently represented Sierra Leone at Miss University Africa, giving her early exposure to international pageantry.
In 2025, she competed in the Miss Sierra Leone pageant and finished as First Runner-Up, a position that would later become important in her selection as Sierra Leone’s representative for Miss World 2026.
That experience, combined with her previous pageant and media background, helped prepare her for a much bigger international stage.
Beyond beauty
For Mariyam, Miss World is not simply an opportunity to compete for an international crown.
She sees the platform as a way to bring greater attention to issues she has already been working on at home — particularly women’s empowerment, skills development, menstrual health, education and youth participation.
“As I aspire to become Miss World, I aim to amplify our collective work and impact — influencing policies, breaking societal barriers, inspiring girls, and representing our nation and the world with pride and purpose,” she said.
“This is not just a title to me — it’s a call to inspire, serve and uplift.”
Her mission is to build a movement that gives women and young people greater access to education, skills, opportunities and platforms where their voices can be heard.
Through her work in skills training, menstrual health, youth mentorship, media, entrepreneurship, environmental advocacy and community wellbeing, Mariyam has attempted to build a profile that goes beyond pageantry.
As she takes Sierra Leone to the 73rd Miss World Pageant in Vietnam, Mariyam Lorba Konneh will be judged alongside other contestants for one of the world’s most recognised beauty titles.
But whatever happens on the final stage, her story is already about more than a crown.
It is the story of a young Sierra Leonean woman using media, entrepreneurship, advocacy and skills development to create opportunities for others while taking Sierra Leone’s story to a global audience.
And as she steps onto the Miss World stage, she carries not only Sierra Leone’s flag, but a message that has remained at the centre of her journey: beauty with purpose.
Edited /Published by Sallu Kamuskay.
Salone Messenger Media
