MONROVIA – The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has firmly opposed the Boakai-Kung administration’s pick for the position of Resident Representative of ECOWAS to Sierra Leone. In late 2023, Liberia’s former Foreign Affairs Minister, Ambassador Dee Maxwell Kemayah, was appointed by ECOWAS Commission President Dr. Omar Touray to represent the regional body in neighboring Sierra Leone.
According to a report by Spoon News, Ministers of State for Presidential Affairs and Foreign Affairs Sylvester Grigsby and Sara Beysolow Nyanti have allegedly written to ECOWAS to reject Ambassador Kemayah’s appointment. Ambassador Kemayah is known to be an ally of former President George Manneh Weah of the Congress for Democratic Change (CDC).
Sources within the international community indicated that the Liberian government, through the office of the Foreign Minister, officially objected to President Touray regarding Kemayah’s appointment. The government recommended Ambassador Marjon Kamara for the position instead. This communication, sent via Liberia’s Ambassador to Nigeria and Permanent Representative to ECOWAS, Ambassador Al-Hassan Conteh, was promptly rejected by the regional body in a response dated June 6.
ECOWAS rejected the Boakai administration’s recommendation on the grounds that the appointment of Ambassador Kemayah was for a non-statutory position not reserved for Liberia or any other specific member state of ECOWAS. The President of the ECOWAS Commission holds the authority to appoint any qualified citizen from the ECOWAS community, as was the case with Ambassador Kemayah.
Despite the rejection, the Liberian government has reportedly reached out to ECOWAS authorities in Sierra Leone and Nigeria, insisting on their objection to the former Foreign Minister’s appointment.
According to some political experts, this development highlights the tension between the Boakai administration and ECOWAS over diplomatic appointments, raising questions about Liberia’s influence within the regional body and the ongoing political dynamics involving former allies of the previous administration.
