By Mohamed Lamin Massaquoi.Information Attaché
Sierra Leone Embassy, United Arab Emirates
Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Tuesday 14 February 2023 – Sierra Leone’s Minister of Basic and Senior Secondary Education, Dr. David Moinina Sengeh, has received the Best Minister Award in the World, as part of the ongoing 10th edition of the World Government Summit in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
With the theme: “Shaping Future Governments”, this edition was attended by political leaders, experts and innovators, during which they discussed possible ways of shaping future government policies. In the audience during the Award ceremony were three African Presidents.
According to the citation: “The Award recognises the exceptional efforts of Government Ministers by demonstrating excellence in the public sector, implementing successful reforms and inspiring Government leaders and service providers to promote innovation within their domain to better serve the needs of their citizens.”
Dr. Sengeh was among ten other ministers, who were nominated after a global due diligence conducted by PWC, which also included the public opinion through social media, a jury of international experts and key figure representatives of international organisations and the private sector to select the winner. The Award was presented by High Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai.
Shortly after receiving the Award, Dr. Sengeh said that he was excited that the recognition would help to motivate school-going children in Sierra Leone and all other stakeholders in the education sector to do more. He noted that the commitment of President Dr. Julius Maada Bio allowed him to carry out his mandate with ease, adding that Sierra Leone’s investment in education had been coupled with priority on making sure that the poor, disabled, vulnerable and even those in remote areas were all catered for.
“When everyone is included and when we use technology to provide solutions for our students, everyone benefits and the system gets better. So, as we innovate and solve problems within the education system, we must think about those who are most excluded because when we build systems that work for them, everyone benefits,” he said.
Sierra Leone’s Ambassador to the UAE, Rashid Sesay, who was also part of the event, emphasized that the recognition was a proud moment for every Sierra Leonean and a testament that the great efforts of His Excellency President Dr. Julius Maada Bio to provide affordable education for all was being recognised across the globe.
Other notable participants in this year’s edition of the World Government Summit, included His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE, President Macky Sall of Senegal and Chairperson of the African Union, President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi of Egypt, Madam Kristalina Georgieva, Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund, and Madam Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Director General of the World Trade Organisation.
