Sierra Leone’s Ambassador to Belgium Ambassador Samuel Tamba Musa has arrived in Luanda, Angola for the 10th Summit of the Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS) of Heads of State and Government slated for the 6th – 10th December.
The Ambassador who doubles as Head of Delegation is representing President Julius Maada Bio, in his capacity as member of the OACPS Committee of Ambassadors in Brussels facilitating the deliberation. The Ambassador is accompanied by the First Secretary of the Sierra Leone Embassy in Brussels, Mr. Saifu George, who doubles as the expert on OACPS issues.
The Summit will be held with the Theme: “3 Continents, 3 Oceans, 1 Common Destiny: Building a resilient and sustainable OACPS”.
The 10th Summit marks the first physical meeting of OACPS Heads of State and Government since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the entry into force of the revised Georgetown Agreement in April 2020. It will conclude with the adoption of a declaration by Heads of State and Government/Representatives.
The Summit is important for Sierra Leone in many ways as it will provide an opportunity for the exchange of views on key topics for the sustainable development of the 79 Member States of the OACPS and address issues related to trade among the Member States and key partners; a Women’s Forum on the Blue economy; and a Youth Forum and a Diaspora Forum.
The main objectives of the OACPS are sustainable development of its Member-States and their gradual integration into the global economy, which entails making poverty reduction a matter of priority and establishing a new, fairer and more equitable world order. Also, the coordination of the activities of the OACPS is in the framework of the implementation of the ACPS-EC Partnership and the establishment and consolidation of peace and stability in a free and democratic society.
The 10th OACPS Summit was preceded by 115th OACPs Council of Ministers meeting held in Brussels on 27th and 28th November which was attended virtually by the Minister of Planning and Economic Development Dr. Francis Kaikai and the 45th joint OACPS-EU Ministerial Meeting also held in-person in Brussels on 29th November.
The Ministerial meetings witnessed the exchange of views on strengthening partnership including the EU-OACPS Partnership Agreement (post-Cotonou) which is due to be signed after the negotiated text was initiated by both parties in April 2021.
The 9th OACPS Summit was held in December 2019 in Nairobi, Kenya. The former President of Kenya, Uhuru Kenyatta will therefore be the outgoing President of the Summit while the president of Angola, João Louenço the current host, will be the President of the 10th Summit and President of the OACP.