The Secretariat of the Mano River Union (MRU) will next Friday June 9th 2017 see a change in leadership of its Secretariat. Outgoing Secretary General (SG) as the Guinean citizen Haja Saran Daraba Kaba and outgoing Deputy Secretary General (DSG) for Peace & Security, Sierra Leonean citizen Mrs. Linda Koroma will formally hand over their offices to their successors; Mrs. Medina Wesseh of Liberia as the incoming SG and Mrs. Jacqueline Konan of Ivory Coast as the incoming Deputy SG for Peace & Security.
The MRU, made up of 4 countries of Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia and Ivory Coast, is structured to have one Secretary General and three Deputy Secretary Generals. Sierra Leone can never hold the position of SG since it is already the Host Country for the MRU Secretariat. When one, of the other 3 countries, holds position of SG, the remaining 3 countries in the MRU (including Sierra Leone), nominate their citizens to man three posts of:
DSG Peace & Security
DSG Finance & Admin
DSG Economic Development
The positions are held for fixed terms.
Both Haja Kaba and Mrs. Linda Koroma have completed their due terms in office as representatives of Guinea and Sierra Leone.
Both Guinea and Sierra Leone are to now nominate the two citizens who will take up the two remaining positions of Deputies. Those positions, previously held by Liberia (DSG Economic Development) and Ivory Coast (DSG Finance & Admin) are now declared vacant. The vacant DSG positions are to be soon filled by the two nominees expected to be named from Guinea and Sierra Leone.
Speaking from Liberia, the Minister of Gender for Sierra Leone, Hon. Dr. Sylvia Olayinka Blyden, who was a part of the MRU ministerial deliberations, said it was a great feeling to see strides for Gender Parity and empowerment of Women in Leadership, becoming so engrained in the MRU to an extent a woman is replacing another woman as Secretary General and also, a woman is replacing another woman as Deputy Secretary General for Peace & Security.
A scanned PDF copy of the signed MRU Communique (both English and French) is attached to this update as is a photo of Hon. Gender Minister Blyden flanked by outgoing and incoming female MRU Secretary Generals; Kaba and Wesseh respectively, after in-depth discussions.
© MSWGCA – GOSL
*Sunday 4th June 2017*
