His Excellency Konah K. Blackett, the Ambassador of the Republic of Liberia to Kuwait, was upbeat in his assessment and categorical in his emphasis that under the administration of President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, the country had turned a new chapter in its history. The ambassador is well-placed to rest his confidence in the President’s proficiency, and her ability to run the government efficiently, as he had directly worked with her in the Ministry of Finance while she served as Deputy Minister of Finance in the early 1970s.
A graduate from the University of Detroit in United States, Ambassador Blackett entered his professional life with a brief spot at Liberian Telecommunications Corporation before moving to the Ministry of Finance. He joined his country’s Foreign Service in 1978 and has since served as a career diplomat, beginning with a four-year assignment at the Liberian Embassy in Brussels. In 1979, he took over as the Charge d’Affaires at the embassy and was responsible for promoting Liberian interests through diplomatic relations with the European Community (EC) and with member nations accredited to the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States (ACP) in their engagements in ACP-EC Partnership Agreements.
Giving a brief outline of his professional career, the ambassador said, “Subsequent to the coup d’état that deposed the extant government in Liberia in 1980, I was posted as counselor at our embassy in Nigeria for three years from 1982 to ’85. In early 1990, I was assigned to the United Nations in New York and in 1992 was asked to head our mission in Washington DC. This was a challenging post that I was reluctant to accept initially, but, as part of the clique that at the beginning supported Charles Taylor, I remained in the post until 1998, when I reverted to being a private citizen in the United States. In 2005, following the setting up of an interim government, I returned to Liberia to assess the political situation; and consequent to the free and fair elections that saw President Sirleaf assume office, I was once again brought into the Foreign Service and deputed as ambassador to Egypt for four years.”
“In 2010, I was appointed as Liberia’s first ambassador to Kuwait when we opened our embassy here. However, while I was serving in Egypt, I was also the non-resident ambassador to Kuwait and had presented my credentials to His Highness the Amir in 2008. Liberia and Kuwait have enjoyed cordial diplomatic relations for over four decades, a relationship that was cemented by the visit in 1975 by then Liberian President William Tolbert. Following the visit, in 1978, the Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development signed a major loan agreement with Liberia for infrastructure development with a Roads Rehabilitation project. In the aftermath of the 1980 coup and ensuing political instability in Liberia, relations with Kuwait remained in a limbo for nearly two decades.”
“Bilateral ties were revived and took a different dimension in 2010 with the visit to Kuwait by incumbent President Sirleaf, the opening of our embassy here and my appointment as ambassador. During the visit of our president and in talks she held with His Highness the Amir, and other high-ranking government officials, ways and means of enhancing bilateral relations between the two countries were discussed. In the wake of her visit, there was also increased interest by state institutions like the Kuwait Fund and the Kuwait Investment Authority to fund and invest in Liberian development projects.”
Revealing the increased cooperation between Liberia and Kuwait, Ambassador Blackett said, “We are now in the process of negotiating with the Kuwait Fund for loan funding for equipping Greenville Port in Monrovia and we expect to see its outcome in the next few months. The rehabilitation of the port aims to support economic activities in the country through meeting the increasing demand on shipping for exporting Liberia’s natural resources and agricultural products. The project envisions the procurement of marine craft, cargo handling equipment, as well as consultancy services and institutional support.”
“Since 2010, Liberia and Kuwait have also signed several bilateral agreements and Memorandum of Understandings (MoU), including an agreement on establishing a Joint Commission for Cooperation between the two governments, and a MoU on conducting bilateral consultations between Ministries of Foreign Affairs of both countries. The setting up of a Joint Commission seeks to develop and follow-up on cooperation in the fields of economy, commerce, investment and finance, while promoting cultural and scientific ties, and supporting the improvement of social and health services. Meanwhile, the MoU between Foreign Ministries aims to establish a mechanism to discuss modalities of expanding and deepening cooperation for the development of bilateral relations, as well as international issues of common interest.”
Sketching the tremendous investment potential in Liberia, especially in its mining and agriculture sectors, the envoy pointed out that the country has the highest Foreign Direct Investment to GDP in the world. “We have signed several multi-billion dollar concession agreements with multinational companies like Arcellor Mittal, BHP Billington and China Union for mining our vast mineral resources like iron-ore, gold and lead. We have also begun exploration for untapped oil reserves by awarding offshore blocks to global oil firms like Chevron, Anadarko and Repsol. Hydroelectric projects are another area which has immense potential for development and investment.”
“On the agricultural side, global companies like Decoris, Sime Darby, Cavalia and Golden Veroleum are engaged in developing large oil palm and rubber plantations in Liberia. Bear in mind, along with producing cocoa, coffee and other food products, we are also one of the top ten rubber producing countries in the world with the world’s largest rubber plantation in operation since 1926. Meanwhile, in an attempt to boost the country’s tourism potential Liberia has entered into agreements with hotel and hospitality providers like Robert Johnson Group in the United States, Golden Gate Hotels and Cape Hotels to invest millions of dollars in the country’s nascent tourism industry.” Liberia is the most heavily forested country in West Africa and contains the last large areas of relatively intact rainforest in the region; while this remains an attractive tourist potential, it also provides lucrative investment prospects for the timber and forestry industry.
Elaborating on the government’s strategy to improve the economy of the country, the ambassador added, “All of this investment and development has been brought about due to peace, stability, implementation of rule of law and a zero-tolerance to corruption that have highlighted the administration of President Sirleaf. In 2006, when the government took charge, Liberia’s external debt was around US$ 4.5 billion, nearly 800 percent of GDP. Following the new government’s adherence to fiscal requirements, meeting obligations and demonstrating satisfactory performance in macroeconomic policies, poverty reduction strategy and public expenditure, world bodies like the IMF, World Bank and African Development Fund wrote off much of the country’s debt.”
“The implementation of Multilateral Debt Relief (MDRI) initiative and Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) initiative, along with prudent economic management, financial integrity and transparency, has led to the country’s debt dropping to less than half a percent of what it was in 2006. It has been a joy and a matter of great satisfaction for me to work under such an experienced and globally respected President with a reputation for probity; a President whom the Time and Newsweek magazine labeled as one of the top ten world leaders and the Economist called, ‘arguably the best president the country has ever had,”’ declared the ambassador.
“During her visit in 2010 President Sirleaf personally extended an invitation to His Highness the Amir to visit Liberia and we are sure that once the visit takes place there will be accelerated interest in Kuwaiti businesses and individuals seeking investment and trading opportunities in our country. Liberia has a long history of international involvement; we were among the founding members of the United Nations in 1945 and the Organization of African Unity (OAU) in 1963. While most people tend to think about our country in light of the two decades or so of political instability, what they fail to recognize is that this turbulent period was only a small aberration in our country’s 166 years of peace and stability since independence in 1847.” In conclusion, Ambassador Blackett added, “It has been an exciting and stimulating two years in Kuwait and I look forward to working in the best interests of my country during the rest of my tenure here.”