Office of diaspora bags honorary award

By Alfred Fornah

• Freetown, 9 Nov 2016: The Director and some Senior Staff Members of the Office of Diaspora

  Affairs (ODA) have recently received an Honorary Award from Members of the Sierra Leone

  Central Union in the Netherlands.

  ODA Director, Mr Kallay Musa Conteh (Center) receiving the award from SLCU

  The Sierra Leone Central Union Holland (SLCU) is a parent organization of Sierra Leonean

  Diaspora organizations in the Netherlands, whose ultimate aim is to bring Sierra Leoneans

  together for the benefit of Sierra Leone.

  According to the Chairman of the Sierra Leone Central Union, Abubakarr Bangura the award

  was given to ODA for making great strides in coordinating and harnessing the diaspora towards

  the development of the country. ‘’ Last year we signed MoU with ODA, and they have been

  working accordingly towards that direction’’ Mr. Bangura pointed out.
• Receiving the award, the Director of the ODA, Mr Kallay Musa Conteh expressed delight for the

  award. ‘’I am dedicating this award to all the staff of ODA for their relentless effort to effectively

  implementing the diaspora concept’’ said ODA Director. He promised that they are going to do

  more in promoting diaspora activities towards the development of the country.

  Meanwhile, one of the exciting and laudable initiatives of President Ernest Bai Koroma when he

  assumed leadership of Sierra Leone in 2007 was to establish the Office of Diaspora Affairs

  (ODA),

  The ODA aimed at laying the foundation for a productive and mutually beneficial partnership

  between the government of Sierra Leone and the Sierra Leone Diaspora.

  The specific goals of the ODA including reversing the nation’s brain drain to brain gain; by

  identifying Sierra Leone professionals in the diaspora and encouraging them to come home and

  contribute to nation building, encouraging diaspora investment; by creating a suitable

  environment for investments, and also work towards formalizing diaspora remittances . By and

  large, the Office of Diaspora Affairs has been making great progress in the execution of its

  mandates.