Miss World Sierra Leone 2026, Mariyam Lorba Konneh, has arrived in Vietnam to begin her participation in the 73rd Miss World pageant, which is being held as part of the international competition’s 75th Anniversary Edition.
Konneh departed Sierra Leone ahead of the month-long Miss World festival and arrived in Vietnam as contestants from more than 100 countries and territories gather for the global competition.
The 2026 Miss World festival officially began on August 9, with Hanoi welcoming contestants at the start of their programme across Vietnam. The event will culminate in the grand final in Ho Chi Minh City on September 5. (Miss World)
Konneh’s arrival marks the beginning of her official engagement in the competition, where she will represent Sierra Leone in a series of activities combining pageantry, cultural exchange, social impact initiatives and the Beauty With a Purpose programme.
The Sierra Leonean representative was officially crowned Miss World Sierra Leone 2026 by Miss Sierra Leone Limited and subsequently confirmed by the Miss World Organisation as the country’s representative for the 75th Anniversary Edition. (Miss World)
A Banking and Finance student at the Institute of Public Administration and Management (IPAM), University of Sierra Leone, Konneh is also a television presenter, entrepreneur and founder of Mariyam’s Ways, a youth-focused platform whose advocacy includes menstrual health, girls’ education and youth empowerment. (Miss World)
Her participation has also received official backing from Sierra Leone’s Ministry of Tourism and Cultural Affairs, which has described her appearance at the global pageant as an opportunity to promote the country’s culture, heritage and tourism potential.
During a press briefing ahead of the competition, Konneh said she was committed to representing Sierra Leone with dignity and pride, while highlighting issues including women’s empowerment, African unity and cultural identity. (tourism.gov.sl)
The Miss World competition in Vietnam is expected to expose contestants to a programme of cultural, tourism and community-focused activities before the final selection in September. More than 130 contestants are gathering for activities associated with the competition, according to Vietnamese reports. (Vietnam.vn)
For Sierra Leone, Konneh’s participation provides another international platform through which the country’s culture, people and social development initiatives can be presented to a global audience.
As she begins her Miss World journey in Vietnam, attention will now turn to the various preliminary activities and challenges that will determine which contestants advance in the competition ahead of the September 5 grand final.