58 protocol officers complete training

The Foreign Service Institute (FSI) at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs ends a three – week training workshop for 58 protocol officers serving in government ministries and agencies here.

The training, which was climaxed Thursday, 29 March at the C. Cecil Dennis Hall at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Monrovia, was organized to improve performance of protocol officers after so many embarrassments were observed during national and international programs.

Receiving the trainees, Foreign Minister Gbehzohngar Milton Findley, extends government’s thanks and appreciation to the participants, as well as facilitators for their time during the three weeks period.

“We have observed the kind of embarrassment our government faces during national and international programs with protocol officers moving people or seats from one place to another, while the program is going on; that’s why [we] thought on training our protocol officers to save the government from embarrassment,” Minister Findley says.

The Minister blasted when he observed that the same problem of carrying chairs around during programs for which they called for the training was repeated at the closing ceremony on Thursday.

Minister Findley questions the absence of the Chief of Protocol of the Republic of Liberia, Rev. Jarvis Witherspoon and the Protocol Officer for the Foreign Ministry, noting that they should be the ones taking care of the just-ended program. Findley then vows to deal with situation after the ceremony.

He urges protocol officers to go to his office at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, if their bosses do not give ears to what they have learned. He observes that it is the Foreign Ministry that receives all the bad-mouthing or criticisms when a protocol officer errs.

Presenting the trainees earlier, Deputy Foreign Minister for Legal Affairs Cllr. Deweh Gray, thanks the participants for the three weeks training, and expresses delight that the exercise ending in a joyous mood.

By Ben P. Wesee–Edited by Winston W. Parley