Richard Konteh

Konteh is currently a candidate for the leadership of the All People's Congress (APC party) ahead of the 2023 Sierra Leone presidential and parliamentary elections. He is one of several candidates contesting for the APC leadership. Konteh is campaigning under the platform of unity, hence nicknamed "D-Unifier."

In 2020 it was announced that the All People's Congress (APC) would hold their convention to elect a new leader that will challenge president Julius Maada Bio of the SLPP who is facing re-election for a second five-year term in 2023. Konteh announced his candidacy for the leadership of the All People's Congress (APC party) ahead of the 2023 Sierra Leone presidential and parliamentary elections. He is one of seven candidates for the APC leadership.

In 2018, immediately after taking office, President Julius Maada Bio’s administration announced a Commissions of Inquiry (COI) approved to look into the performance of former All People’s Congress (APC) Government officials and that the scope of the inquiry will cover the period November, 2007 to April, 2018. Over 300 persons who served in senior positions in the former Koroma administration including Dr. Richard Konteh were indicted. Honourable Justice John Rosolu Bankole Thompson who headed Commission Number 2 of the three Commissions of Inquiry blasted the Bio regime for misusing the COI in a manner that was "not reasonable or permissible" and also "not cognizable" under the COI legal framework that President Bio had sent for approval to Parliament

Konteh is considered an underdog by many to the previous APC leader Samura Kamara who became leader in 2018 by selection by then outgoing president and APC party chairman Ernest Bai Koroma, instead of election - a move that was unpopular with the majority of APC supporters APC ultimately lost the elections to the SLPP

In June 2014, Konteh was relieved of his duty as Chief Minister, detained for some time, released on bail and prosecuted for various alleged offences. A State House press release at the time stated that. “It has come to the attention of His Excellency the President that Dr. Richard Konteh, Chief of Staff in the Office of the President was not open and transparent in the conduct of official negotiations for a mining agreement with a private sector operator, thereby violating established policy, undermining existing institutional arrangements, and exposing government to potential loss of revenue. In another matter involving the illegal export of timber from Sierra Leone, the Sierra Leone Police are investigating an unauthorized executive order allegedly issued by Dr. Konteh granting an open-ended mandate to the timber harvesters, processors and exporters (SL) LTD to undertake the export of an unlimited quantity of value-added processed timber, in direct contravention of the approval granted by His Excellency the President for a fixed quantity of 30 containers only. Against this background, His Excellency the President has decided to relieve Dr. Konteh of his duties with immediate effect while the police continue with their investigations."

Konteh was first appointed to Cabinet as Deputy Minister of Finance and Economic Development by President Ernest Bai Koroma shortly after his election on 17 September 2007. He was later appointed Minister of Trade and Industry in 2010, and Chief of Staff in the Office of the President in 2013.

Konteh was first appointed as Deputy Minister of Finance and Economic Development in 2007 in the first cabinet of President Ernest Bai Koroma. A cabinet reshuffle in 2010 saw him appointment as Minister of Trade and Industry by President Ernest Bai Koroma. After the elections of 2012, where Koroma and his APC party won a second five-year term, Konteh was appointed as Chief of Staff to the President.

In 2003, Konteh was appointed Programme Manager for ECOWAS/UNDP Regional Programme to strengthen Africa's Regional capacities in peacebuilding and ECOWAS Civil Society Focal Point. In 2005, Konteh served as General Secretary of the West African Civil Society Forum (WACSOF).

Born in Gbendembu Village in the Gbendembu Ngowahun Chiefdom, Bombali District, Northern Province. He married his wife Isatu Zama Konteh (née Sankoh) in 1992. Together they have two children: Iyerich and Richard Jr. Richard has a bachelor's degree, a post-graduate diploma and a master's degree from Njala University, as well as a master's degree, a post-graduate diploma and a doctoral degree from the University of Dortmund in Germany. He taught English and Geography at the Wesleyan Secondary School in Kamakwie for 2 years and lectured at Njala University College from 1993 to 2003. He also worked as Programme Manager, Monitoring and Evaluation for the Catholic Relief Services (CRS) Sierra Leone between 2000 and 2003, and later worked as Programme Manager for ECOWAS/UNDP Regional Programme from 2003 to 2005 in Peace building and Post Conflict Reconstruction in West Africa.

Konteh's professional career started with the Wesleyan Church of Sierra Leone (WCSL) where he served as Associate Director of Planning and Development from 1992 to 1993. He joined GEKO – Sierra Leone in 1994 has executive director, an affiliate of GEKO e.V in Germany. Between May 2000 and July 2002, Konteh was the Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist, for the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) in Babadorie, Freetown. Konteh joined the Catholic Relief Services - Sierra Leone (CRS-SL) in August 2000 as Programme Manager, Monitoring and Evaluation; Justice and Peace.

In 1991, Konteh enrolled for a postgraduate degree in Development Planning and Management, in the faculty of Spatial Planning at the University of Dortmund in Germany. Through a scholarship offered by the university, Konteh pursued a Master of Science Degree in Development Planning and Management, jointly offered by the University of Dortmund, Germany, and the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology in Kumasi, Ghana. In 1994, Konteh went on to study Energy Planning and the Environment at the Center for Development and the Environment, University of Oslo, Norway, where he earned a post-graduate diploma. In 1996, Konteh returned to Sierra Leone and pursued another Master of Arts in Education, specializing in Geography at the Njala University College, University of Sierra Leone. In 1999, he earned a Doctorate Degree (PhD) in Spatial Planning (Specializing in Development Coordination) from the University of Dortmund in Germany.

Konteh attended several primary schools in the Northern Region as his father who was a teacher moved many times around the region. He mostly attended the Wesleyan Church of Sierra Leone Primary Schools in the surrounding villages between Gbendembu and Kamakwie, before his parents sent him to St. Francis Secondary School in Makeni where he attended secondary School. Between 1980 and 1982, Konteh was Assistant Teacher with the Wesleyan Secondary School in Kamakwie. He furthered his education at the Njala University College in 1986 and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Education. Upon graduation, Konteh returned again to Kamakwie as a full-time teacher at the Wesleyan Secondary School where he taught for two years.

Richard Konteh (born February 4, 1963) is a Sierra Leonean educator, public servant, and a businessman.