Weah receives traditional honor

President George Manneh Weah has received traditional honor in neighboring Cote d’Ivoir, gowned and named “Poenay,” meaning Star during a State visit.

He is on a tour in both Cote d’Ivoire and Ghana, seeking to benefit from his counterparts’ advices on development issues. “Big brother, thank you very much for the advice you gave me. I will do everything now for our people and to make our country go forward,” President Weah said to President Ouattara in Cote d’Ivoire.

Arriving at 4 pm at Abidjan’s Félix Houphouët-Boigny Airport, President Weah was welcomed by President Ouattara and later received in audience at the presidential palace in the Plateau by his Ivorian counterpart.

The two presidents discussed the issues of border security, Ivorian refugees who are still in Liberia, and above all, how to revive a country permanently affected economically by more than 15 years of crisis by feeding on the Ivorian experience.

“I am here to strengthen our relationship. We want to thank you for your support during the times of war, of crisis that our country knew, for the refuge that was Ivory Coast,” Mr. Weah says.

He says he grew up in Plateau, adding that he knows that the strength of Côte d’Ivoire comes from agriculture and he wants to cooperate with President Ouattara’s government.

“We want to strengthen our collaborations. Agriculture and cocoa employ many young people in La Côte d’Ivoire. We can recreate that for our young people”, Mr. Weah says.

He expresses believe that a good bilateral cooperation policy would involve cross-border highway, trade in agricultural policy and the interconnectedness of energy that could lift Liberia out of the rut. He also visited the facilities of the Ivorian Electricity Generation Company to see what can be done with a combined cycle power plant.