AYV News, November 14, 2023
The Foreign Service Academy (FSA) of Sierra Leone has held the first lecture series for staff of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation.
Participants were drawn from the various departments in the Ministry to strengthen their capacity to enhance performance and professional diplomatic service delivery.
Giving an overview of the FSA, the Acting Executive Director of the Academy, Ambassador Soulay Daramy said that the operationalization of the Academy is a dream come true for Sierra Leone to have such a diplomatic training center that will not only benefit the Ministry or MDAs but the diplomatic communities in the sub-region.
“Our mandate is to build strong and professional diplomats that will be representing the country abroad and also work in line with our country’s foreign policies and government objectives. This was an opportunity that many people were yearning to have in the sub-region.
But now that the facility is here, Sierra Leoneans and foreign nationals should grab this opportunity and be part of the transformative journey in diplomacy and international relations,” he said.
Ambassador Daramy said that acquiring such training abroad in the past had no significance to the country’s development trajectory while he assured the public that whatever training the Academy will be providing will be in line with global demand in preparing career diplomats.
The Deputy Director-General in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Alan Logan admonished participants to make good use of the training as they were lucky to be beneficiaries of His Excellency President Dr. Julius Maada Bio’s pronouncement in Parliament in 2018 to establish a diplomatic academy as part of his vision to professionalize the Foreign Service.
“The training you will receive for the very first time in our country’s history will be customized to our unique circumstances and experiences on what our development priorities are and how to align them with global politics. This academy will build your confidence and knowledge of our Foreign Policy objectives and how to relate them to the international dynamics of politics,” he said.
The Director of Admin and Finance in the Ministry, Aiah Mbawa said that building the capacity of staff in the Ministry is vital since they interact with the diplomatic communities which require a high level of protocol observance.
Director Mbawa said that the Academy will not only limit diplomatic training to staff of the ministry but also other MDAs and the sub-region.
The Foreign Service Academy was commissioned by His Excellency Dr. Julius Maada Bio this year to provide diplomatic training and build the capacity of the country’s Foreign Service workforce.
The academy also provides basic lectures in UN languages including, Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian, and others.
