Sierra Leone’s Ambassador to the State of Kuwait, Her Excellency Haja Ishata Thomas, on 18th October 2024, engaged the Sierra Leone Community in a Town Hall Meeting, where she admonished them to respect the laws of the host country, promote unity and a culture of peace.
The event was held at the Best Western Plus Hotel in the Mahboula Community, where a significant number of Sierra Leoneans were assembled to interact and share experiences of their respective activities in Kuwait.
Initiated by the Executive of the Sierra Leone Union in Kuwait (SLUK), the meeting was organised primarily to discuss pertinent issues bordering on the welfare of Sierra Leoneans residing and working in Kuwait.
In her statement, Ambassador Thomas expressed appreciation to the President and his Executive for creating a platform for engagement, adding that town hall engagements are critical to His Excellency President Dr. Julius Maada Bio’s agenda for national peace and cohesion.
Despite the numerous challenges, Her Excellency noted the Sierra Leone Community in Kuwait had achieved calm due to the responsive measures instituted over the years to address those concerns, thanks to the collaborative efforts of the Embassy and the present and past Union Executives in addressing those concerns.
“Since I assumed duty, our two countries have further strengthened and deepened bilateral ties. The State of Kuwait has supported the Republic of Sierra Leone in several development initiatives, including the construction of roads, schools, hospitals, boreholes, and the provision of scholarship opportunities and job opportunities for Sierra Leoneans. The Embassy is also engaging the relevant authorities in Kuwait for more opportunities in areas of investment and recruitment regulation through the signing of the two Labour Agreements (Visas 18 & 20),” Ambassador Thomas stated.
She called on the community to be ambassadors in their various places of work, treating one another right, which will be a positive sentiment to the country, thereby paving the way for more skilled recruitments in Sierra Leone.
Concluding, she appealed to the community to support the union to promote unity and peace and foster its social and economic objectives to address some of the critical welfare issues affecting them in Kuwait.
Addressing the community, Mr. Kenneth Vandi Fortune, President of the Sierra Leone Community in Kuwait, explained the planning of the town hall meeting, revealing that it was his vision to initiate an interactive platform for constructive engagements between the leadership of the Embassy and the community. He highlighted the numerous interventions of SLUK in swiftly responding to welfare concerns, including health-related issues, immigration and domestic abuse, among others, since his election in March 2024, appealing for unity to achieve union objectives.
SLUK was established in 2013 to promote the country’s culture and foster peace, unity, progress and camaraderie amongst Sierra Leonean nationals residing and working in the State of Kuwait. Since its establishment, the union has been pivotal in addressing the needs of the community. The town hall provided the opportunity for the community to engage in community governance activities, setting a stage for their voices to be heard and, at the same time, hold their leaders accountable.
