Sheikh Alie Kallay: +23278586554.
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia concluded a historic International Qur’anic Competition in Sierra Leone under the sponsorship of its Ministry of Islamic Affairs, Da’awah & Guidance. This was the first time the well-known competition was held outside of Saudi Arabia and in West Africa. To compete in four categories—memorisation of the entire Qur’an with Tafseer, memorising the entire Qur’an, memorising half of the Qur’an, and memorising one-third of the Qur’an—25 finalists were gathered at the Ghadahfi Mosque in November 2025.
Competitors competed for significant cash prizes. The grand prize winner received US$6,000, while other prize winners received awards ranging from US$1,800 to $3,800. Organisers and judges praised the high level of recitation, the depth of understanding demonstrated by participants, and the event’s spirit of healthy competition.
Dr Muhammad Muhammad Jalloh, the supervisor of the Saudi missionaries in Sierra Leone, thanked King Salman of Saudi Arabia and Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman (MBS) for their assistance. He also thanked his colleagues, the judging panel, and His Excellency President Dr Julius Maada Bio’s administration for their contributions to the program’s success.
The competition’s chief judge, Sheikh Adam Faruq Bah, expressed gratitude to the Saudi Embassy in Dakar, Senegal, for sending Dr Muhammad Faal as an impartial and independent international examiner to guarantee the adjudication process’s credibility.
The event ended with a closing and prize-giving ceremony at Freetown City Hall on January 11, 2026. The religious attaché of the Saudi Embassy in Dakar, Mr Salman Alfuhaidi; the Head of Chancery, Mr Sulthan Al-Rashidi; representatives of the Ministry of Islamic Affairs, Da’awah & Guidance in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Mr Abdullah Al-Buhyan and Mr Bandar Kuleib; and the Charge d’Affaires of the KSA Embassy in Freetown, H.E. Fahad Dhafir Raafee’i, were among those in attendance.
Local Islamic leadership and government representatives also took part: Dr Ibrahim Sallieu Kamara, Dean of the Islamic Department of Milton Margai Technical University (MMTU) and Chief Imam of Jami’ul Jalil Mosque; Dr Ibrahim Jalloh, former Sierra Leone ambassador to KSA; Egypt’s first female ambassador; representatives of the Sierra Leone Muslim Congress, including Sheikh Alie Kallay; Alhaji Salieu Bah of the Supreme Islamic Council; and o Attendees spoke about the competition’s cultural and spiritual significance, as well as the strengthening of Saudi-Sierra Leonean religious and educational ties.
