May 14, 2021
By: Francis F.M. Harding
The Nigeria High Commissioner to Sierra Leone has on the 10th May, 2021 presented his credential to the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Prof. David Francis in his office at Tower Hill OAU.Drive, Freetown. Welcoming the High Commissioner- Designated His Excellency Henry John Omaku to the Republic of Sierra Leone, the Minister intimated the envoy that as the new Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, he had brought to the Foreign Ministry a clear understanding of priorities of the ‘New Direction” Government of His Excellency, President Dr. Julius Maada Bio.
Minister Prof.Francis went on to brief the High Commissioner-Designated on the new foreign policy shift from Economic Diplomacy to Development Diplomacy. Development, he said, is the national interest of the “New Direction’s Government and that it is derived from the manifested in the Medium-Term National Development Plan, the flagship human capital development of President focusing on education, health, agriculture and food security.
The shift, the Foreign Minister said, would focus on positioning the country as a small but inspiring and emerging country that is smart to focus on free education and to invest in long term sustainable future of the country as the new shift would look at strategic relationships with other countries.
Sierra Leone and Nigeria he said have had strong cordial relationship that has spanned decades, and as the new Foreign Minister, he is going to continue to strengthen the bond between the two countries and that of the two Heads of States, their Excellencies, President Dr. Julius Maada Bio and President Muhammed Buhari. Minister Prof.Francis called on the High Commissioner-Designated to partner with Sierra Leone especially in the area of the training of diplomatic staff of the Foreign Ministry.
In his brief statement, High Commissioner-Designated, Mr. Henry John Omaku once again congratulated the Foreign Minister, Prof. David Francis on his new assignment as the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation.
High Commissioner-Designated Omaku assured the Foreign Minister that he is in the country to put up his best in continuing to strengthen and deepen the already existing bilateral ties between Nigeria and Sierra Leone. Speaking on his new role, he promised to partner with Sierra Leone, add value and bring in new innovations to ensure that things change in the right direction between the two sisters countries with a view to creating an enable environment for interaction and sharing ideas that would benefit the people of both countries.