Former President of Sierra Leone, Ernest Bai Koroma on Monday March 21, 2022, departed the shores of Freetown for the Federal Republic of Nigeria on the invitation of the West Africa’s Elders Forum (WAEF).
The Sierra Leonean statesman will participate in a dialogue with the objective to coordinate response to the emerging socio-political trends in West Africa, according to a statement from the Office of the former president.
The dialogue will be held under the aegis of the WAEF which was established by the former Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan, as a mechanism to promote peace, governance, and democracy in the sub-region. WAEF particularly emphasizes preventing election-related conflicts and maintaining stability in West Africa.
A letter signed by former President Goodluck Jonathan, stated: “The accelerating trend of instability, insecurity and breakdown of constitutional order within the West African Sub-region cannot be allowed to continue unchecked. There is an urgent need for a collective response to the emerging challenges.”
The Meeting will be held on March 23, 2022, at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel in Abuja, Nigeria.
In another engagement, on March 22, former President Koroma will be serving as guest Speaker at a virtual event on the Experimental Leadership Series hosted by Tel –Africa. He will be speaking on the theme: “Reaction Vs. Proaction; rethinking the leadership experience in Africa.”
On March 25, President Koroma will deliver the Keynote at another virtual High-Level discussion organized by Club House, which is an auxiliary of the Centre for International Policy (CIP).
This time President Koroma will be speaking on the theme: “The Challenges of African Leadership.” CIP prides itself as ‘an independent research and policy centre dedicated to promoting Africa’s position in international affairs and global governance.’
Between the 28th and 29th March 2022, President Koroma will again be part of another High-Level discussion organized by the Coalition for Dialogue on Africa (CoDA) at the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library, Abeokuta, Ogun State, Nigeria. The dialogue will focus on democratic good governance and the role of sub-regional bodies like ECOWAS in achieving this goal.
“The reversal in democratic governance and the re-emergence of military rule in West Africa is troubling. This calls for frank discussions and practical solutions to the underlying factors,” said former President Koroma.
The CoDA event will bring together over 40 participants comprising political leaders, policymakers, civil society actors and academics in a joint endeavour to find ways of redressing the discontents affecting democracy in West Africa.
By Sallieu S Kanu