Monrovia – The United States Embassy near Monrovia has congratulated Elias Shoniyin, Liberia’s Former Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs for Foreign Affairs on his selection as a 2019 Yale University Maurice R. Greenburg World Fellow.
The U.S. Embassy referred to Shoniyin as an international affairs development, and policy professional and diplomat, with over nineteen years in nonprofit and public service, in multiple senior positions where he has made significant contributions to the post-war recovery and development of Liberia.
He served as Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Liberia in two successive administrations and intermittently as Acting Foreign Minister in the absence of the Minister.
At the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Shoniyin worked tirelessly to develop the capacity of Liberia’s Foreign Service and maximize its service to the country.
The Embassy furthered that Former Minister Shoniyin played a pivotal role in deepening Liberia’s post-conflict cooperation with friendly nations and opening up cooperation opportunities on new frontiers.
He coordinated Liberia’s resource mobilization efforts during West Africa Ebola outbreak in 2014, drawing urgent global attention to the health crisis.
He led Liberian delegations to many high-level international conferences and negotiations, including serving as Advisor to the Liberian delegation to the United Nations General Assembly. He has been a lecturer in International Relations at the
University of Liberia graduate school and a mentor and friend to countless Liberian and foreign diplomats”. Accordingly, the Embassy conveyed its warm best wishes, referring to Mr. Shoniyin, as “our friend and colleague Shoniyin as he embarks on this well-deserved and prestigious fellowship in the United States”.