IPNEWS: President George Manneh Weah, ahead of his departure for the United Nations General Assembly, has recalled Ambassador George S. W. Patten, Sr.

Even though the Executive Mansion said nothing about his recall, Ambassador George S. W. Patten, has served as Ambassador of Liberia to the United States, where he entirely worked to strengthen the deep and longstanding historical and cultural ties subsisting between Liberia and the United States amidst strings of diplomatic challenges.

Ambassador Patten is a career diplomat with more than two decades of experience in the Liberian Foreign Service. He served in various capacities at the Liberian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and rose through the ranks of the Liberian Foreign Service.

Prior to his appointment as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Liberia to the United States of America, Ambassador Patten served as Charge d’affaires, a.i at the Permanent Mission of Liberia to the United Nations in New York, and Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Liberia to Ethiopia and Kenya. He also served as the Permanent Representative of Liberia to the African Union (AU) and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA).

He previously served as Minister Counsellor in charge of political and legal affairs at the Permanent Mission of Liberia to the United Nations. His functions included coverage of the United Nations Security Council; the African Union Observer Mission to the United Nations; Expert in the Fourth and Sixth Committees of the UNGA; Peacebuilding Expert and focal point for the Liberia Country-Specific Configuration on the Agenda of the Peacebuilding Commission (PBC); the focal point of the New Deal for engagement in fragile states; a focal point for the Responsibility to Protect (R2P); a focal point for peacekeeping activities-represented Liberia in the Special Committee on Peacekeeping Operations; focal point in relation to the International Criminal Court (ICC); focal point on Liberian history and foreign policy, etc. Ambassador Patten had other diplomatic assignments in West, North and East Africa, as Counselor and First Secretary, respectively.

Meanwhile, the President of the Republic, H.E. Dr. George Manneh Weah has nominated Mr. Jeff Gongoer Dowana as Liberia’s Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the United States of America with concurrent Non-Resident Accreditation to Canada and Mexico.

President Weah made the nomination on Thursday, September 15, 2022. The nomination is subject to confirmation by the Honorable Liberian Senate.

Ambassador Jeff G. Dowana replaces Ambassador George W. Pattern who has been recalled.

Ambassador Dowana holds a Master of Science Degree in Organizational Leadership from the NYACK College in New York. He earlier earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Political Science from the University of Liberia.

He is a career diplomat who served at several postings including in London, New York, Washington DC, Paris, and his current assignment as Ambassador Plenipotentiary and Extraordinary to Kuwait.