Dr. Morie Komba Manyeh, High Commissioner of the Republic of Sierra Leone to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, has presented his credentials as Sierra Leone’s Permanent Representative to the International Maritime Organization (IMO).
The credentials were presented to the IMO Secretary General, Mr Kitact Lim, at the organisation’s headquarters in London.
Although Sierra Leone has been a Member of the IMO since 1973, the country’s representation had previously been only through appointed Alternate Representatives. The pragmatic change, with the appointment of the first-ever Permanent Representative of Sierra Leone to the organisation by the Government of His Excellency President Dr. Julius Maada Bio, is indicative of the Economic Diplomacy strategy of the last four years which has seen the leveraging of the country’s growing status as a credible multilateral player, utilising its geo-strategic location and natural resources to engender economic growth and development.
The High Commission of Sierra Leone in London, will double as the Permanent Mission of Sierra Leone to the IMO, under the directives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, in conjunction with the Ministry of Transport and Aviation as well as the Sierra Leone Maritime Administration Agency.
The High Commission will serve as the official link between the Organization and the Government, in respect of all political, diplomatic, administrative and technical issues which may arise in the relations between the Organisation and the respective authorities of the Government.
During the presentation ceremony, Dr Manyeh informed the IMO Secretary -General of the robust policy of the New Direction Government of President Julius Maada Bio in the maritime sector, zeroing on the Government’s Blue Economy plan, a pro-poor and sustainable growth agenda.
On behalf of the Organization, the IMO Secretary General welcomed the pragmatic decision of the Government of Sierra Leone, in making the historic move to bolster its representation within the IMO, after almost five decades of membership.
Mr. Lim called on the Permanent Representative to keep-up the good work in raising the profile of Sierra Leone within the IMO domain, a move which he pointed out would attract the active attention of the IMO Secretariat and other Member States leading to the institution of close and valuable technical cooperation.
