President Bio to lead a major African reform effort at the United Nations

Sierra Leone Telegraph: 14 June 2018:

Sierra Leone’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MFAIC) Dr. Alie Sanjan Kabba, has disclosed that President Julius Maada Bio will soon be heading for a UN meeting in New York.

President Bio will attend as Head of State and leader of the Sierra Leonean delegation, and as the distinguished  Chairman of the C-10 – a role previously played by former president Koroma.

The C-10 is the umbrella body that is put in place by the African Union (AU) to advocate for Africa and work for reforms in a United Nations Security Council (UNSC) setting that is overwhelmingly controlled by “permanent Security Council members”, none of which are from Africa.  (Photo: President Bio).

Speaking last Wednesday, 6 June 2018 on Radio Democracy 98.1, Foreign Affairs Minister Kabba also reiterated his resolve to restructure the foreign ministry and make it more responsive to the needs of the country, as well as make it more in tune to the evolving demands and pressures of the modern international community.

He spoke about the need for developing a crop of young talented Sierra Leoneans, who could be professionally equipped to serve as the core work force in of the country’s diplomatic service on a sustainable basis.

The minister emphasised that it is essential for diplomats to know and understand Sierra Leone’s priorities, and to fully understand the issues around the norms and conventions of international diplomacy.  (Photo above: Alie Kabba).

Dr. Alie Kabba stated that his ministry is working to establish a Foreign Service Academy, which will serve as a capacity building unit, that will produce competent and efficient diplomats to professionally represent Sierra Leone on  the international stage.

In his hour-long radio interview, Dr. Kabba also emphasised the need to positively rebrand and promote Sierra Leone to the world and attract foreign investors and major development partners from all over the globe, which will help the government achieve its New Direction goal of making Sierra Leone “a better place” for everyone.