Somalia seeking capacity-building

[Somalina]

 

Publication Date: December 17, 2010 - 6:59pm

Updated: December 17, 2010 - 6:59pm

 

News Section:Editorial

 

A 10-man Somali delegation from the Somalia Transitional Federal Government met with President Ellen Sirleaf on Monday seeking help from the Liberian Government to support the capacity building program of personnel of the Transitional Government in Somalia.

 

The Liberian Leader assured the group of Liberia's willingness to share with the Somalia Transitional Government, Liberia's Post-war experience in reconstruction.

The group has spent two weeks interacting with Liberian professionals picking up gems of wisdom while here in order to return home and lay the foundation for a sound program.

 

Liberia has always shown a willingness to help its sisterly republics in capacity-building¸ security-wise, and in public institutions. . There was a time when the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was well frequented by personnel from newly independent African countries who were sent here for training in the conduct of protocol and official ethics. At that time, Ambassador Jim Morgan was the Doyen in the exercise of conducting protocol at the Foreign Ministry.

Liberia has always cherished warm ties with the people of Somalia and we have long looked forward to the period when their protracted nightmare shall be over and the people of Somalia will take their rightful place among the comity of nations.

This should not cue to simply pat ourselves on the back, because of how far we've come or how much we have accomplished. We should rather see it as an opportunity to “pay forward” the goodwill that was done to us, which got us where we are today. Moreover, it is an opportunity to reflect on our own journey toward peace so far, highlighting any mistakes to correct as well as successes to repeat.

As political fires rage across our continent, the onus is on us to be more diligent and vigilant in making our story a tremendous success worth emulating. Our neighbors --- our brothers --- both in our own backyard and across the continent are looking to us for proof that peace in Africa can actually work. Let us own our lessons with constant, diligent practice so that the lasting peace we seek can work, not simply because of the things we say, but because it has become part of our nature.