ABUJA – The Nigeria-Liberia Joint Commission, a bilateral forum for discussing foreign policy matters of interest of Nigeria and Liberia, will meet in the first quarter of 2022 in Monrovia, Liberia.
According to a release from the Embassy of Liberia in Abuja, Nigeria, Liberia’s Foreign Minister, His Excellency Dee-Maxwell Saah Kemayah, Sr., proposed this to his Nigerian counterpart, His Excellency Geoffrey Onyeama, during a courtesy visit to the latter at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Abuja on December 13, 2021.
Minister Kemayah said a Joint Communiqué of the Inaugural Session of the Commission, which was held in Abuja, Nigeria, on July 14-15, 2014, recommended that the second meeting of the Commission should be held in Monrovia, Liberia.
“This will provide an opportunity to discuss matters that will deepen our relations and afford us an opportunity to finalize the draft Memoranda of Understanding (MOU) on agriculture, trade, education, culture, health, immigration, aviation, mining, science and technology, which were discussed during the Joint Commission meeting in Abuja for final approval for both sides,” Minister Kemayah told his counterpart.
He used the opportunity to extend greetings and felicitations of Liberia’s President His Excellency George Manneh Weah to His Excellency President Muhammadu Buhari of Nigeria.
Propounding on Liberia’s foreign policy interests, Minister Kemayah outlined a reform agenda, economic partnership, support to the education sector, and training of Liberian diplomats.
Minister Kemayah briefed his colleague about the reform agenda he embarked upon following his appointment as Foreign Minister of Liberia about a year ago. The agenda, includes ensuring that all aspiring and middle level diplomats of Liberia receive specialized training in diplomatic norms and practice before starting their assignments at Liberian Foreign Missions.
On economic partnership, he underscored the revival of discussions held during a Nigeria-Liberia bilateral meeting in February 2020 regarding Nigeria’s technical assistance to Liberia for fiscal stability and bilateral trade.
Regarding education, he informed Nigerian Foreign Minister Onyeama of the University of Liberia’s proposal to establish a doctoral program at its IBB School for International Relations, which was named in honor of former Nigerian President Ibrahim Babangida in the 1980s.
In response, Nigerian Foreign Minister Onyeama thanked Minister Kemayah for his visit and assured him that his requests for technical assistance and the training of Liberian diplomats would be considered by the Nigerian side, including inputs from Nigeria’s Technical Assistance Corps (TAC) Program. He commended Minister Kemayah for his reform agenda and accepted his invitation to pay an official visit to Liberia next year to convene the Nigeria Liberia Joint Commission.
The Ambassador of Liberia to Nigeria, Dr. Al-Hassan Conteh, and Director of the West Africa Division of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Nigeria, Ambassador Mustapha Tunde Mukaila attended the meeting of the two Foreign Ministers.