By Alpha Abu
Sierra Leone’s Foreign Affairs Minister Prof. David Francis has said it was time Africa got a seat on the UN Security Council. The minister who was in Turkey for the Antalya Diplomacy Forum was quoted by the Forum’s communications partner Anadolu Agency as saying regions of the world should support Africa in that direction.
The minister was making his stance known after attending the recording democracy panel discussion of the forum that was hosted by Turkish President Reccep Tayipp Erdogan in the resort city of Antalya.
He urged for reforms within the UN Security Council, re-echoing the call by President Erdogan at the start of the three-day summit last Friday that was also attended by Sierra Leone’s President Julius Maada Bio.
According to Prof. Francis, the appointment of Sierra Leone by the African Union to chair the AU’s Committee leading talks on the issue of reforming the Security Council shows the seriousness of the matter.
He said it’s a “historical injustice” to exclude Africa from the 5 permanent and 10 non-permanent membership of the Security Council.
On the local front, Prof. Francis spoke about Sierra Leone’s potential for direct foreign investment, citing the country’s vast beach coastline of some 249 miles and also the favourable environment for investment in mining and agriculture.
He said the country has moved on from the lingering shadows of a war-torn nation to that of a vibrant, dynamic, and resilient society, with huge resources being used to improve the health sector. He also spoke about the government’s allocation of 22% of the country’s GDP to education, among the top five countries in the world to do so.
He disclosed that 2-5 million children are now benefitting from the education scheme.
The foreign minister spoke about how Sierra Leone was among countries with the fastest-growing economies in the world before that prospect was reversed by the Ebola outbreak. He said the country has managed well the coronavirus pandemic and was now focused on post covid recovery efforts.
He mentioned the strong bilateral relations between Sierra Leone and Turkey as demonstrated by the presence of SUMMA Company which is currently expanding and redesigning the Freetown International Airport, and the provision of two-thirds of the country’s power supply by the Turkish Karpowership.
On both diplomatic and political levels, Prof. Francis said the two countries enjoy what he called a very credible relationship. He said that the relationship is being transformed to what he referred to as development and economic diplomacy that would focus on enhancing trade and investment between the two nations.
The Antalya Diplomacy Forum attracted 17 heads of state, 80 government ministers, and dozens of representatives of international organisations. Discussions were focused on improving innovative diplomacy, development, conflict resolution, and climate change.
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