At the Chancery building of the Embassy of Sierra Leone in Washington, D.C, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Hon. Alhaji Musa Timothy Kabbah on September 29, 2024, joined the Embassy staff in Washington, D.C. to celebrate the MCC compact as Sierra Leone’s Foreign Policy victory.
“We are here at the Embassy to celebrate the MCC victory because of the immense participation of the Embassy of Sierra Leone in Washington, D.C. We must spotlight Washington Mission”, Hon. Alhaji Timothy Kabbah said, reiterating the importance of the Washington Mission because the United States is the power of the world. He further said that the global governance infrastructure is embedded in the USA, which is why the vibrancy of the Mission must be key. “We must join hands to promote consistent Foreign Policy. Sierra Leone is trying to regain its position in the world, and President Bio has taken further steps. We are a worthy partner to the United States and they have helped Sierra Leone navigate bottlenecks. Any progress in our relations with the United States happened through the Washington Mission “.
The Foreign Minister recalled that the misinformation that was filtered to the United States after the June 2024 elections was unfortunate, adding that with efforts of the Sierra Leone Embassy in Washington, D.C. after engaging the State Department and other U.S. agencies, the truth was relayed to the USA.
“The success of Sierra Leone is for all of us – the pride of our nation is what is important. We are going to prioritize the Washington Mission. We will mainstream this Mission to the Foreign policy implementation of our country,” Hon Kabbah noted.
“We want to effect change. We must work together to produce results for our country. I am aware of the challenges across our Stations, as well as the competition among powers in the world. We should be able to position Sierra Leone with the backing of the Ministry and the President of Sierra Leone,” he said, stressing that he is very proud of the Washington Mission.
The newly appointed Acting Director General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation who accompanied the Minister to the Embassy in Washington, D.C. Mr. Allan Logan congratulated the Washington Mission for their role in delivering on the MCC. “This Embassy in Washington, D.C. is contributing effectively to the success of the government agenda,” he said, emphasizing that many other equity funders will have to show interest in the country with the success of the MCC. He appealed to Ambassador Wai to tap into those opportunities in the interest of national growth.
Mr. Logan said that the Foreign Mission must challenge certain information about the country, indicating that the leadership role is not always about money and power but bringing the country’s position closer, and at the same time pushing the common agenda of the government.
Head of the Foreign Service Academy in Sierra Leone, Ambassador Soulay Daramy reminded the Embassy staff of diplomacy in their everyday undertakings. Ambassador Daramy expressed the need for training for Foreign Mission staff. “Our foreign Mission staff are mostly intelligent, and knowledgeable and should utilize the existence of the professional foreign service academy owned by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Work ethics and the ability to support the Head of Mission and Head of Chancery to perform their diplomatic service effectively remains paramount,” Ambassador Daramy said.
His Excellency Ambassador Sidique Abou-Bakarr Wai thanked the Minister of Foreign Affairs Hon. Timothy Kabbah for taking note of the role of the Sierra Leone Embassy in Washington, D.C. in promoting Sierra Leone’s foreign policy. Ambassador Wai recalled the first high-level meeting that the Vice President of Sierra Leone Dr. Mohamed Juldeh Jalloh attended in Congress for the MCC which was facilitated by the Sierra Leone Embassy in Washington, D.C.
“The Embassy will continue engaging United States Congress, the U.S. Senate, State Department, and other U.S. agencies to promote the foreign policy of Sierra Leone.”
By PEL Koroma,
Embassy of Sierra Leone,
Washington, D.C.