Liberia

THE REPUBLIC OF LIBERIA’S new Ambassador Mrs Gurly Teta Gibson arrived in London in February with her husband, Harald Schwarz. Since her arrival, Mrs Gibson has been interested to observe the beautiful parks around the capital. “Fitness is obviously an important part of preventative medicine. People are able to take long walks during and after work. So many people are also riding bikes, reducing the number of vehicles on the road and pollution. These are initiatives that Liberia must also look into.”

Born in 1968, Mrs Gibson lived with Catholic nuns at a Convent High School, where she learnt “the importance of service to society and humanity.” After college, she moved to the US earning a Master’s in Psychology, going on to work as a clinician and therapist in the Philadelphia school district. It was during her years in the US, that she became a founding member of the Liberia Women Forum, leading the fight to promote women’s rights and empowerment initiatives. Much of her life has concerned “service to humanity and nation. My work has involved listening, reaching compromises and resolving issues; working to lift people out of poverty by empowering them though skill building.” She believes it was these attributes that led to her appointment as First Secretary and Consul at Liberia’s Embassy in Washington, DC, in 2006, where she later became Trade Consul. Work as an international trade and investment consultant allowed her “to develop strategic partnerships with all levels of decision makers, promoting economic diplomacy, again with the goal of lifting Liberian people out of poverty through sustainable development.”

Meanwhile back home, her older brother was pursuing a political career of his own (currently Speaker of the House of Representatives), and also acted as her mentor. “His resilience and agenda to improve the lives of the ordinary citizens influenced my decisions,” she recalls. “He encouraged me to reach for the sky and shatter the glass ceiling, which indeed I believe I have.” The most memorable day of her career came in December 2018 when Liberia’s President George M. Weah appointed her as Ambassador in the UK. “It’s been such an honour.”

Mrs Gibson’s priorities are “to protect Liberia’s interests and values, project a positive image of [her] country, and connect with Liberians living in the UK.” Like all Heads of Mission in London she’s closely observing the Brexit situation. “Post-Brexit, we will have to do a better job of bilateral engagement with the UK to work towards common goals.” However, “short-term goals,” she continues, “include eliminating bureaucratic bottlenecks to improve output at the Embassy. I want to ensure that we can show tangible results as we build on our bilateral relationship with the UK.”

She explains, “Liberia is a small country with approximately five million people living on 43,000 square miles. Therefore, I must help realise the President’s ‘Pro-Poor Agenda’ for accelerated, inclusive, and sustainable development.” She outlines the four pillars of this five-year National Development Plan: empowering Liberians with the tools to gain control of their lives through equitable opportunities in education, health, youth development and social protection; economic stability and job creation; promoting a cohesive society, and finally forming an inclusive and accountable public sector for shared prosperity.

In order to contribute to this, the Ambassador must “renew and energise [her] country’s diplomatic approach: one that will focus on trade, investment and development partnerships so that we can create jobs for Liberians and improve living standards. It also means that Liberian communities in the UK are well-served while also giving them opportunities to contribute to Liberia’s redevelopment.” She promises to “promote economic growth through tourism, agriculture, infrastructure and foreign direct investment. Economic growth has the potential to lift marginalised Liberians out of poverty.” The Ambassador plans to hold business conferences and organise trade missions in an effort “to increase foreign direct investments, spur job growth and expand economic activities in Liberia.”

However, the Ambassador concedes, “Liberia cannot solve the most pressing economic and social problems all by itself; we need partners and allies, especially the UK, whose assistance and engagement is critical to Liberia’s development.” After all, she says, “the UK and Liberia have maintained a strong relationship for centuries. Great Britain was the first country that recognised Liberia as an independent nation in 1848. And it is these long-standing ties that we will build on with a new direction, a new way of doing things, and a new way of communicating with our bilateral partner and friends to mitigate these challenges.”