IPNEThe Deputy Chief of Mission at the British Embassy near Monrovia, Madam Kate Thomson has lauded the relationship between Britain and Liberia to rekindle professionalism in the Liberian Foreign Service. She said she was pleased to note efforts under President Joseph Boakai’s administration to ensure that Liberia is properly represented abroad by qualified Diplomats and Foreign Service personnel.

Madam Thomson made these remarks on Wednesday, June 26, 2024, when she conducted a one-day workshop at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs under the auspices of the Foreign Service Institute. The workshop was intended to enhance participants’ knowledge in policy communication and further improve the capacity of public officials in the discharge of their duties.

Madam Kate Thomson’s lectures centered on the topic: Communicating in a Policy Environment-Best Practice/Excellence in Briefing. A career teacher, Madam Thomson previously served as Education Adviser to North Africa in the UK’s Department of International Development, and G20 adviser at the Mexican Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Sub-topics for the various lectures during the workshop included writing good-quality talking points for bilateral meetings and events, writing high-quality briefs to help Ministers make decisions, preparing reports for local and international conferences, and improving the skills of participants on writing good-quality speeches for high level officials of government.

In remarks at the close of the workshop, the Director General of the Foreign Service Institute, Reginald B. Goodridge, Sr., expressed thanks to the British Ambassador, His Excellency Neil Bradley, for seconding his Deputy Chief of Mission, Kate Thomson, to assist the Liberian government improve the communication skills of mid-level officials as an impetus to rebrand the Liberian Foreign Service. He urged participants to avoid sycophancy and always advise their bosses on “what they need to know”, rather than “what they want to know”.

Gracing the occasion were the acting Minister of Foreign Affairs, Hon. Gabriel H. Salee, who brought greetings on behalf of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Madam Sara Besolow Nyanti; and the Deputy Minister for International Cooperation, Dr. Ibrahim AL-bakri NYEI, through whose office the workshop was arranged with the British Embassy.

Participants included veteran Ambassadors, Deputy Ministers and Assistant Ministers, the Inspector General of Foreign Missions, Protocol officers, Desk Officers of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, instructors and staff of the Foreign Service Institute.