Four Consuls Appointed for USA

The Government of President Ernest Bai Koroma has appointed four African Americans to serve as Consuls in the United States of America to further protect the interest of the Country and Sierra Leoneans residing in their area of coverage for an initial period of two years.

The Consuls who are currently residing in four States in America, including Georgia, Chicago, Philadelphia and Houston Texas will serve as figurative representatives of the Sierra Leone Embassy in Washington DC with little power or authority, subject to the Washington DC based chancery, headed by H.E Bockari K. Stevens acting as a supervisor.

The four consuls including a legal luminary Chief Methuselah Z.O. Bradley (iv) of Philadelphia, an established business woman and philanthropist- Ms. Cynthia Oremi Jarrett-Thorpe of Decatur – Georgia, a highly honored scientist Dr. Ankur Purohit of Illinois Chicago and a Geologist Dr. Reginald Spiller of Houston-Texas had their letters of appointments handed them by Ambassador Bockari K. Stevens at the Embassy on different dates including Friday June 8th, 2012.

Presenting the letters of appointments, Ambassador Stevens congratulated the consuls and read out their terms of reference to them.

• “Upon appointment as Honorary Consuls, it is the duty of the supervising mission to explain the nature of your functions with emphasis on the expectation of attracting foreign investments.
• “Upon the initial establishment of a Consulate, an Embassy official will visit its premises to ascertain that its operations and physical set up are consistent with the requirements as laid down in the Vienna Conventions.
• “Honorary Consuls should furnish the Embassy in Washington D.C. with the physical address, email, telephone and fax contacts and hours of operation of the Consulate.
• “Consuls must maintain regular substantive contacts with the Embassy in Washington D.C. and should notify the Mission of any change of address.
• “As Honorary Consuls are under the direct supervision of the Embassy in Washington D.C, they must send activity reports directly to the Ambassador every six months. “These reports should include economic and related developments that may be of interest and benefit to Sierra Leone.
•  “With prior consultations with the Embassy, Consuls are required to appropriately represent the Embassy at state, civic and social functions in their consular district.
•  “Honorary Consuls should promote trade and commercial relationship between the United States of America and the Republic of Sierra Leone.
• “In this vein, they are required to promote the investment and trade potential of Sierra Leone and also to attract potential investors to Sierra Leone from the business community in their respective consular districts.
• “Honorary Consuls are required to seek the interest of Sierra Leoneans in their consular districts.  Strategies should therefore be developed on how to meet with Sierra Leoneans on regular basis.
• “The tenure of an Honorary Consul is two years, and it is renewable based on effectiveness in the discharge of their functions as Consuls. “Renewal is at the discretion of the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Co-operation.
• “The renewal of the appointments of Honorary Consuls will take into consideration moral propriety as well as performance indicators that would include but not limited to the number of trade missions facilitated, investments opportunities created and assistance provided to Sierra Leone delegations and citizens resident in their jurisdiction.

Responding, the appointees thanked President Ernest Bai Koroma for appointing them and promised to do their best in their respective areas of assignments.

This is the first time for a Government of Sierra Leone to appoint Consuls in addition to an Ambassador in the United States of America.

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