His Excellency President Julius Maada Bio attended the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) which was held in Kigali, Rwanda from 24th—25th June 2022. Moving up to the climax of the ceremony, H.E. Paul Kagame welcomed the visiting Heads of Government and Delegates to the 26th CHOGM and the 6th in Africa, in his position as the Chair-in-Office of the Commonwealth of Nations. Over the course of its 70-year service to international nations, Commonwealth has experienced significant growth. The openness of the new Commonwealth of our century is amply demonstrated by the fact that its summit was held in Rwanda, which was not a former British Empire.
The former Chair-in-Office, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, emphasized several global issues in his speech, including the global pandemic and the Russian invasion of Ukraine, which had disrupted the world’s food supply chain and created much suffering. However, the Prime Minister also recognized the achievements of the Commonwealth in supporting the campaign to promote girls’ education. On the margins of CHOGM, President Bio engaged several Heads of State to develop bilateral ties to strategically benefit from the event.
These included meetings with Rwandan President, H.E. Paul Kagame; Singapore’s Prime Minister, H.E. Lee Hsien Loong; and the Prime Minister of Belize, H.E. John Briceno. Also in attendance were Prof. David J. Francis, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation; H.E. Dr. Morie K. Manyeh, High Commissioner of Sierra Leone to the United Kingdom; Madam Isatu A. Bundu, High Commissioner accredited to the Republic of Rwanda; Mr. Allan George, Director Multilateral, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation; Mr. Abdul K. Kargbo, Minister Plenipotentiary, Sierra Leone High Commission in Kenya and Mrs. Agnes N. During, First Secretary and Commonwealth Desk Officer at Sierra Leone High Commission in London. At the conclusion of the summit where the Rt. Hon. Baroness Scotland was reelected as Secretary General to the Commonwealth, His Royal Highness Prince Charles expressed hope for the Commonwealth’s coordinated efforts to address these global concerns.
He declared that “our invention, knowledge, and ideas, as well as our bravery and tenacity, are actually our ‘Common Wealth’. By realizing our potential, we can create a future in which all of our citizens have a stake, ensuring that our Commonwealth Charter reflects more than just abstract ideas but also everyone’s actual experiences. And by doing this, we will empower our offspring to usher in a better future for their children and grandchildren”.
