The Embassy in Monrovia has honored six Liberian Chevening Scholars after they completed one year master’s degree program in various professional disciplines in the United Kingdom.
The British Ambassador to Liberia Neil Bradley, who presented the certificates to the scholars during a reception over the weekend, says the Chevening program has been active in Liberia since 2015, and the 2019-2020 cohort of Liberian Chevening Scholars completed their studies with citations of merit.
Ambassador Bradley says Chevening is the UK government’s prestigious scholarship programme for future world leaders that is hugely competitive.
He says a Chevening Scholarship also provides an opportunity to experience life in the United Kingdom, further strengthening Liberia-Britain ties.
He explains that the program provides fully-funded scholarships to around 1,500 outstanding individuals with leadership potential from 160 countries and territories, 400 of them from sub-Saharan Africa to study at any UK university, in any subject of their choice, for one-year Master’s courses.
“Scholars return home after their study for a minimum of 2 years. This is important, as it enables Scholars to give back to their country, Liberia.
“For many Chevening Scholars, the opportunity to further their career and study at the best universities in the world is an opportunity which might otherwise be unaffordable to them”, the British Envoy notes.
He continues that for many Chevening Scholars, the opportunity to further their career and study at the best universities in the world is an opportunity which might otherwise be unaffordable to them, adding the academic skills and the connections scholars make whilst on the Chevening programme enable them to become pioneers in their specific field – from finance to healthcare to governance – and to apply those skills and knowledge to make a positive, lasting impact in their home country.
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Chevening boasts an alumni network of over 50,000, including an illustrious list of senior figures in politics, business, law, and other fields with no less than i8 former and current heads of state being Chevening alumni.
The scholarship beneficiaries include Attorney Lamii Kpargoi, who specializes in Labour Law & Corporate Governance, University of Bristol;
Sedia Williams Wallor, LLM in Energy & Natural Resources Law, Queen Mary University, London; Yah Vallah Parwon, LLM in Law, Gender, Conflict & Human Rights, University of Ulster; Kalilu Donzo, MSc in Biomedical Sciences, Plymouth University; Celia Vanyah Kaman, MSc in Public Health for Development, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, and Welma K. Neufville, MSc in Health, Safety & Environment Management, University of Birmingham, respectively.
Liberia’s Foreign Minister Maxwell Kumayan in subsequent remarks notes that in the absence of requisite knowledge and experiences it would be more of a challenge to move Liberia forward, adding “We express our gratitude to the Government of the UK for this unique opportunity to Liberians.”
Minister Kumayan recalls that the UK-Liberia relationship dates as far as Liberia’s Independence in 1847 when Britain recognized Liberia as an Independent country and take pride in the scholars for their individual achievement. Story by Jonathan Browne
