State House, Freetown, Tuesday 28 May 2024 – His Excellency Jeremiah Kpan Koung, Vice President of the Republic of Liberia, has paid a courtesy call on His Excellency President Dr Julius Maada Bio informing him that he is leading a delegation of ministers on a fact-finding mission to learn from the country’s transformational and human capital development efforts.
While introducing HE Koung, Sierra Leone’s Vice President Dr Mohamed Juldeh Jalloh revealed that the Liberians were in the country on a two-day working visit that was initially requested during his state visit to Liberia. He added that the Liberians were in the country to learn from the good work of President Bio’s transformational achievements in the health, education, infrastructural and industrial sectors since he was elected President of Sierra Leone.
He revealed that the visiting Liberia Vice President and the team would be visiting key ministries and places, including the Ministry of Health, the Office of National Security, factories established during President Bio’s tenure and other prominent locations, during their stay.
HE Jeremiah Kpan Koung started by conveying fraternal greetings from His Excellency Joseph Nyumah Boakai, President of the Republic of Liberia, pointing out that the main objective of their two-day working visit was to learn from President Bio’s transformational efforts and their positive impact on the country both locally and on the international stage.
He expressed appreciation and thanked them for the warm welcome and hospitality, adding that President Bio was doing extremely well for his people and the country since his election. He reminded the gathering that the first time he visited Sierra Leone was via a locally made ferry but noted that during their recent visits, he was surprised and happy that the border crossing point had been transformed from a ferry into a bridge and the road tarred from the border to Freetown.
“Mr. President, we are happy and proud of your infrastructural development. So, we are a new government, and we are here to learn from you on how you have started and how far you have come with getting your people on board the development of your country. We are here to take note of everything that we can take back home that will be in the interest of our people,” he emphasised.
In his remarks, His Excellency President Julius Maada Bio welcomed the Liberian delegation and expressed appreciation for their visit, adding that the two sister countries were only geographically divided, yet their people had lived together peacefully.
He made it clear that things were tough around the world, noting that notwithstanding that, it was the responsibility of any government, including his, to cushion those effects for their people. He said voters did not want excuses for what was happening on the global platform, stressing that as a government they had to strive to work hard and not rely on explanations.
The President told them that they needed a good team in government that was ready to work hard and stop talking while encouraging them to always ensure that they kept focused on their goal as a government and showed sincerity in what they wanted to do for their people.
“I have to keep my cabinet busy. We have to work together as a team by keeping ourselves busy in the interest of the country and our people. I am happy that you are visiting us to learn from our experience. We learn by imitating, and there is nothing wrong with doing that. Just that, it is expected that we will be able to adapt what we have learned into our system to make it workable and fit for purpose. With commitment and hard work, along with the harmony among key players, we are sure of achieving our goals,” President Bio said.
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