By Alpha Abu
Sierra Leone’s Minister of Information and Communication Mohamed Rahman Swarray has been honoured by a five-man delegation from the Liberian Dock Workers Union, for his contributions to the body and APM Limited, the latter a shipping container handling company where Swarray worked as a Human Resource specialist.
At a ceremony held at the conference room of the Ministry of Information and Communications in Freetown, the President- General of the Liberia Dock Workers Union Jackie NW Doe said at the time Swarray worked in Liberia, he demonstrated true leadership qualities and proved himself what she called a “true son of Africa”. She said the Minister at the time helped stabilise things during a difficult period within trade unionism in Liberia and they got inspired by him. She said they would love to have him always in their midst and would always remember him.
Minister Swarray in his reaction said he was overwhelmed by the action of the delegation and said it was a humbling moment for him. He recalled his days working for APM Limited during which he said he chose to work for the hearts and minds of colleagues rather than what he called “career opportunism’’. He said though his stay in Liberia was relatively short from 2010 to 2011, he never realised he would touch lives there.
The minister said he was gratified to have helped usher in what he described as a new dawn in trade unionism in Liberia. He spoke of the historical ties between the two countries and also used the occasion to explain that all expenses of the delegation were covered by the visitors themselves. He extended profound appreciation for the recognition accorded him.
Earlier, Deputy Information and Communication Minister, Solomon Jamiru spoke about the compelling legacies that he said Swarray left through his work in Liberia. He said the minister was being honoured and recognised for the advisory and other services he provided during his time working in Liberia. He also mentioned the fruitful bilateral ties between Sierra Leone and Liberia. Among the delegation was the Secretary-General of the dockworkers union, Momoh A. Sambola. A symbolic presentation of a certificate of appreciation and a traditional attire to minister Swarray from Liberia was later done by the trade union leaders.
Copyright © 2022 Politico Online (12/01/22)
