-A NEED FOR SERVICE EVALUTION

Foreign service as a whole is a competitive ground for gains among sovereign nations and international organizations, and not for funfair. It is a competing ground for nations, especially. This is while a civilized nation must send out their best brain in the discipline of diplomacy in order to put out adequate representation that will accrue more benefits for the nation-state, Mama Liberia and its people.

To be frank, nowadays diplomacy is tailored or borders on economic diplomacy, meaning nearly every nation is fronting for economic gains and protection of national interest.

For a nation to be successful to attract foreign direct investors, its diplomatic representation out there must be very strong and focused to ensure that adequate diplomatic representation is provided which should include positive image building of the state.

Another situation that attracts investors is the observance of rule of law or due process. Weak or no due process at all scares away investor’s desire to come in country.             

Liberia is endowed with so many natural resources that are in demand on the world market and is blessed with a very youthful population.

These young people look up to the government for direction of survival on a daily basis. The government looks up to the assigned Ambassadors and their foreign service technicians to positively sell the image of the nation in their respective assigned domains for investors to get attracted to come and tap into those available natural opportunities in order for job to be created in the private sector. Government failure to provide job has put the nation as risk. The lack of job is a national security issue. A nation that does not provide job for its youthful citizens is sitting on a time bomb of insecurity.

There is a growing demand on the government for job creation for its citizens, especially its vulnerable youthful population. the issue of job creation is uncompromising demand on the government because it is tying around national security issue. The issue of job creation is one of the campaigns promises this government had made to the electorates upon which she was elected, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is no exception to ensuring that jobs are created and provided.

Of the several missions Liberia has out there, how many of them had ever made an attempt to bring in investors. With all the opportunities out there, how can the government respond to the growing demand of job creation when those assigned out there has failed to engage investors that could help provide the jobs opportunities in the private sector.

This is while we argued that there should be a four-year timeline allotted to each ambassador to be recalled for different assignment, because to have a very dormant Ambassador on a mission whose performance is not meeting the needs of diplomatic representation, yet been maintained on a mission is economic waste.

Almost three years now, Liberia’s missions around the world have not proven productiveness in helping government to create jobs for its citizens, because foreign service Officers are not recruited based on merit. Dumping untrained family members and partisans on the Missions is like excess baggage on the already struggling government’s wage bill.

If there was a timeline allotted to an ambassador, everyone (Ambassador) would need the best brain to work with on mission in order to deliver the expected goods, and services, but unfortunately, that is not the case. No investors, no job for the citizenry. Government does not have the will power to have every Liberian in its employ, that is the reason while private sector investment is necessarily needed.

We have repeatedly called on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to evaluate the performances of Liberian ambassadors with full power, assigned in various diplomatic Missions in order to establish the fact if they are performing or not. There is different category of ambassadors in our missions, we have the ones that have overstayed without tangible, we have the ones that are not qualify, we also have the qualify ones, but non-performance, they are just there to eat the money, forgetting to know that they have greatest responsibilities of job creation.

It is important to note that 20th century diplomacy is quite different to the prevailing 21st century diplomacy. 75% of 21st century diplomacy is all about economic negotiation. Every nation is thinking about how to maximize profits for the benefit of its citizens. if we have ambassadors who haven’t grasp the concept of modern diplomatic representation which requires economic and political negotiation, then he or she needs to be recalled for consultation.

TO BE CONTINUED