By Mohamed Jaward Nyallay
The Outgoing Canadian High Commissioner to Sierra Leone, Togo and Ghana, Dr Heather Cameron has bid farewell to President Julius Maada Bio in a short ceremony at State House, Freetown.
Dr Heather who is based in Accra, Ghana have been serving all three West African countries since her appointment in 2016.
During her meeting with President Bio she expressed gratitude on what both countries have achieved in collaborating on issues like Special Court, peacekeeping and reform of the Republic of Sierra Leone Armed Forces, the fight against Ebola and the Sierra Leone Peace Building Commission.
“Your Excellency this is my sixth visit to Sierra Leone in three years and our aims have been to help defend and strengthen our relationship. I am very pleased to see a number of Canadian organizations working in Sierra Leone, particularly in your priority areas of education and the training of teachers,” she said.
Canada and Sierra Leone have been working closely together since 1961. The history of both countries is tied in some ways to the return of the free slaves from Nova Scotia.
Sierra Leone and Canada are part of international organizations like the United Nations and Commonwealth. Sierra Leone’s embassy to the United States has also been covering Canada since 1971.
In his response President Bio said: “For the many things we did together, I want to say a big thank you on behalf of my government and the people of Sierra Leone. Thank you for all of those things you did during your tenure. We will continue to work together to further deepen our bilateral relationship,” President Bio noted.
According to the High Commission’s website, merchandise trade between the two countries in 2018 totaled $33.1 million, consisting of $9.1 million in exports to Sierra Leone and $24 million in imports from Sierra Leone.
Like US and the UK, Canada is also a popular destination for the Sierra Leonean diaspora. It is not clear if Canada or Sierra Leone is considering opening a High Commission in each other’s country.
She thanked the President for receiving her, saying that it was a great privilege to serve Canada in Sierra Leone. She added that the two countries had a long history of friendship, particularly in the works that were done with the In his response, President Bio thanked the High Commissioner and the government of Canada for everything they had done for the government and the people of Sierra Leone, especially at the time when Sierra Leone needed help with the Special Court, the Peace Keeping efforts and the fight against Ebola.
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