By Abubakarr Bah, Information Attaché, Saudi Arabia.
Parliament has approved Mr. Mohammed Sheriff Barrie, who was recently appointed by His Excellency President Dr. Julius Maada Bio, to serve as Ambassador Extra-Ordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Sierra Leone to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Mr. Barrie was unanimously approved in the Well of Parliament on Tuesday, 23rd July, 2024, following his successful interview at the Committee on Appointment and Public Service on Monday, 22nd July, 2024.
Mr Barrie was approved together with two other Presidential nominees; Dr. Julius F. Sandy, High Commissioner of Sierra Leone to the Federal Republic of Nigeria and Mr. Salamu Koroma, Ambassador of Sierra Leone to the Islamic Republic of Iran.
Mr. Barrie is succeeding Ambassador Dr. Ibrahim Jalloh who assumed office as Ambassador Extra-Ordinary and Plenipotentiary in 2019. Mr. Barrie will be adding his wealth of experience and expertise to the Sierra Leone Embassy; a multilateral mission, which also covers the Sultanate of Oman, Syria and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), the second largest international governmental organization after the United Nations.
During the deliberations in the Well of Parliament, Hon. Billoh Shaw from Falaba District spoke about the good works of the outgoing Ambassador and urged the incoming Ambassador to emulate his predecessor. Hon. Bash Kamara, Caucus Leader of Karene, thanked President Bio for appointing Mr. Barrie, and assured the Well that the new Ambassador will deliver.
In his felicitation, the Acting Speaker of Parliament, Hon. Ibrahim Tawa Conteh, urged the newly approved Ambassadors to represent Sierra Leone very well by working diligently to promote economic diplomacy at their diplomatic districts.
Before his appointment, Mr. Barrie was Consul for Sierra Leone in the New England Region, Boston, a position he served since 2012.
With almost four decades of international experience, Mr. Barrie held several positions in the private sector. He served as Strategic Global National Accounts Manager with a fortune 500 corporations in the areas of Strategic Global National Accounts, Manager-Business Development, marketing and Sales strategies for Tyco International Electronics Security, the largest Industrial Electronics Security Company in the USA which later merged with Johnson Controls, another giant in the industry with Industrial/Commercial HVAC as its core competency. He also served as Chairman of the Council of Presidents at Suffolk University and student representative to the Board of Trustees. He was the first President and Founder of the International Students Association between 1985 and 1993 at Suffolk University, USA.
Mr. Barrie holds two Bachelors of Science in Business Management from Graham College, and in Criminal Justice from Suffolk University, USA, Pursuing a M.A in Liberal Arts from Harvard University, Cambridge.
Mr. Barrie is a team player who is committed to fostering strong relations between Sierra Leone and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
For more enquires:
Email: information.attache@sa.slembassy.gov.sl