Pres. Sirleaf Receives High-Powered Delegation ITC

President Ellen Johnson on Tuesday, April 19, 2016 received a High-powered Delegation from the International Trade Center (ITC) at her Foreign Ministry Office in Monrovia. The delegation was led to the Office of the President by the Ministers of Information, Culture Affairs and Tourism and Commerce and Industry, Eugene Nagbe and Axel Addy respectively.

According to an Executive Mansion release, the delegation is in Liberia to hold the Second Stakeholders Consultation Workshops on developing Liberia’s Tourism Trade Strategy jointly organized by the Ministries of Information, Commerce and Industry and the International Trade Center. The purpose of the Second Consultation is to refine and detail the Plan of Action developed in February, 2016 by stakeholders of the tourism sector and consolidated into a coherent Tourism Sector Trade Document, which will guide the development of Liberia’s tourism sector.

While in Liberia, the team will also hold a set of bilateral consultations, networking events as well as complementary works and make site visits in four counties to engage local communities. The sites to be visited will include Grand Cape Mount, Grand Bassa, Kpatawee Waterfalls in Bong County and the Sapo National Park in Sinoe County.

Speaking during the meeting, President Sirleaf welcomed the delegation to Liberia and recognized the individual talents of members of the delegation to explore the opportunities in the country’s tourism sector. She

ointed out that Liberia has not explored its tourism potentials basically due to infrastructural deficit and expressed the hope that the intervention of the International Trade Center will serve as a catalyst to progress in the sector.

“Liberia is looking forward to the report and the strategy document as well as what it may identify. I will certainly push you harder and like to assure you of the commitment to take the report and turn it into action”, President Sirleaf told the delegation.

Earlier, Minister Nagbe and Addy told President Sirleaf that a renewed focus on the tourism sector will aid the rebranding process of Liberia due to the huge potential the sector possesses and also pointed out that another delegation focused on the rubber-wood sector is due in the Country soon.

Members of the delegation included: Rahul Bhatnagar as head of delegation and Senior Consultant at the ITC, Adama Bah , Theo Nagel, Dale Honect, Jess Ponting, Daudi Sumba, Kaela Solis, ITC Liberia National Coordinator Barku Tubman Zarwolo and ITC Liberia National Consultant, Chiquita Johnson.-Press release