Sierra Leone Telegraph: 6 October 2019:
Last Friday, Sierra Leone’s newly appointed High Commissioner to the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland, Dr Morie Komba Manyeh, was at State House to bid farewell to president Julius Maada Bio, before flying off to London to start his work.
He thanked the president for the opportunity to serve the government and people of Sierra Leone as High Commissioner, and promised to faithfully serve his country.
He said he is particularly aware of the challenges ahead but assured of his readiness for the task of moving the New Direction forward.
President Bio said that the new High Commissioner is taking up a very difficult task at a time when the country is going through a lot of image cleansing at the international scene and trying to woo investors to return to the country.
The president also said that his government is looking at economic diplomacy to attract the best and credible investors to come to Sierra Leone, and assured Dr Manyeh of his support at all times.
The new High Commissioner is a retired academic from the University of Sierra Leone with years of service as teacher, researcher and administrator.
Before his appointment as High Commissioner to the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland, as well as Ambassador to the Republic of Ireland, Dr Manyeh was Sierra Leone’s Minister of Mines and Mineral Resources.
Dr Manyeh will shortly arrive in London to start his post, which will no doubt include meeting the various Sierra Leonean communities across the UK, a task his predecessor – Mr Tamba Lamina started very well.
Hahaha… He is advocating for half of the proceeds from diamond sales to go to Kono as if Kono is the only diamond producing district in Sierra Leone. What about Kenema and Bo?
Going by that faulty logic, should the proceeds of rutile go only to Moyamba and the proceeds of Tintanium and Iron Ore to Port Loko and Bombali? What about Cocoa and Coffee? Only to Kailahun? And before I forget, should the grand rice production project earmarked for Toma Bom only benefit Bonthe district? Does this development model meet the challenges of the 21st century?
And what does the gentleman from Kono mean by the statement, MENDE GO, KONO KAM? I am clearly at a loss.
YEAH. KONO GO, KONO KAM. What a perfect decision by President Bio. The appointment of Dr. Komba Manyeh illustrates how President Bio was convinced with the performance of former HIGH COMMISSIONER Mr. Tamba Lamina. Mr. Tamba Lamina of course a great DIPLOMAT with outstanding knowledge in BRITISH DIPLOMACY, applied his SKILLS, EXPERIENCE and KNOWLEDGE to convince the UK government help develop our country. He was able to PENETRATE the FIREWALL of some of the most IMPORTANT, RELUCTANT and DIFFICULT UK parliamentary groups to get aid/grants where former diplomats failed. OUTSTANDING STUFF.
So, Mr. Tamba Lamina successfully open the book’s chapter and definitely, Dr. Manyeh is going to close it with success. I am convinced that there was a tete a tete discussions between the two men to share experience. By the way, that is not the end. I believe, the next PRESIDENT of Sierra Leone will take a similar format. MENDE GO, KONO KAM. PERIOD.
Finally, I kindly ask the President to do more to help KONO. I will suggest that he allocates half of the PROCEEDS from the sales of DIAMONDS for two consecutive years(starting this year) to help develop the district. DIPLOMATIC appointments alone is not enough. GOD BLESS KONO DIPLOMACY and President Bio. WELCOME to the UK Dr. Manyeh.