The United Kingdom and Liberia have rekindled their collective resolve to work towards key areas in advancing their respective interests at bilateral and multilateral levels, prioritizing agriculture, trade, and national security.
The Head of West Africa at the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), Rebecca Terzeon, and the Ambassador of Liberia accredited to London, United Kingdom, Gurly Gibson Schwarz, have held discussions towards strengthening the commitment of both countries.
Welcoming Madam Terzeon to the London Mission, Amb. Gibson Schwarz stressed the importance of the United Kingdom’s support to Liberia’s development process.
She reflected on the key role of Liberians and international partners working together in the orderly and peaceful conduct of the 2023 General and Presidential Elections, stressing that her interaction with different local and international observation missions highlighted broad-based support for the Liberian democratic process.
The importance of education as a tool to transform the lives of Liberia’s youthful population also featured prominently during the ambassador’s recent visit to Liberia, noting that education is also another key area of partnership with the United Kingdom.
She said an in-person trade mission to Liberia will also present investors with a first-hand view of the enormous potential of Liberia, and a crucial follow-up to the UK Liberia Business Briefing held in London in 2019; she noted with optimism that it will drive investment in the areas of tourism, agriculture, as well as infrastructure.
Liberia’s return to category A of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) also witnessed the support of the United Kingdom.
She asserted that the close collaboration with the British Embassy in Monrovia and the Embassy of Liberia in London is also another key catalyst in driving the goals of both countries, pointing to mobilization of support for Liberian organizations involved with the electoral process.
For Madam Terzeon, her government’s commitment to Liberia extends across key areas of the country’s national development. Health and education are also supported through the United Nations and other international agencies across Liberia.
On UK-Liberia trade prospects, the UK official indicated that the United Kingdom’s Developing Countries Trading Scheme (DCTS) seeks to expand exports, assuming a quota-free trade of 85 percent that allows Liberia and the United Kingdom to trade more freely.
Under the Chevening Scholarship program, Madam Terzeon informed her counterpart that about six Liberian students, annually, are sponsored across the United Kingdom top universities at the postgraduate level, which is aimed at strengthening peace and security, noting that the British peace support team has supplied training for Liberia National Police and the Armed forces of Liberia.
The British International Investment (BII) is also strategizing a new pathway to boost Liberian businesses through access to capital. The initiative intends to bring together development finance institutions to unlock investment opportunities for different markets in Africa.
Madam Terzeon, who expressed her desire to visit Liberia, emphasized that the initiative also reflects support for President Joseph Nyuma Boakai’s ARREST agenda (Agriculture, Roads, Rule of Law, Education, Sanitation and Tourism).
The FCDO Head for West Africa noted that the UK intends to strengthen the bilateral relationship with Liberia to keep the ECOWAS region together and continually help strive for development and stability in Liberia.
