Ambassador Shekou Touray Officially Introduces New HOC Mr ...

Ambassador Shekou Touray Officially
Introduces New HOC Mr. Alhusine Sesay To
Staff Of Sierra Leone Mission In New York
By the Government International Media Network in New York :
The new Head of Chancery at the Permanent Mission of Sierra Leone to the United Nations, Mr.
Alhusine Sesay, was last Friday January 11, 2012 formally introduced to the staff of the Mission
by the Permanent Representative and Head of Mission, Ambassador Shekou M. Touray.
At a General Staff meeting attended by both the diplomatic and local staff of the
Mission, Mr.Sesay, who arrived early in December to take up his new assignment , had the
opportunity to officially meet with the staff he will be working with . He replaces the former
HOC, Mrs. Margaret Jah-Matturi, who was recalled last year and has been re-assigned to the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation.

AMBASSADOR TOURAY (FAR LEFT) AFTER OFFICIALLY INTRODUCING NEW
HOC TO STAFF. NEXT TO HIM ARE MILITARY ADVISER COL. HARLESTON,
RECEPTIONIST MRS. FATMATA JALLOH AND MR. NIMROD, ONE OF THE
DRIVERS.
In introducing Mr. Sesay to the staff, Ambassador Touray highly praised the new HOC,
describing him as an experienced civil servant and a seasoned diplomat, who, apart from serving
in Saudi Arabia as Head of Chancery, was also at one time the State Chief of Protocol to
President Ernest Koroma at State House and the Head of the International Division at the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation in Freetown, Sierra Leone.
Ambassador Touray told the staff that given his vast experience in administration and his
impressive work ethic, Mr. Sesay plans to introduce reforms that will boost the output of the
staff. The ambassador called on the staff to cooperate with Mr. Sesay to help create an amicable
and productive work atmosphere.

HOC MR. ALHUSINE SESAY (RIGHT) ADDRESSING THE STAFF AFTER BEING
OFFICIALLY INTRODUCED TO THEM. SEATED SECOND FROM LEFT IS MR.
FRANKLYN FAWUNDU
Ambassador Touray then took his time to introduce to Mr. Sesay the members of staff of the
Mission, carefully stating their job assignments in the Mission and the UN.
At the end of the introduction of staff by Ambassador Touray, Mr. Sesay took the floor. He first
thanked Ambassador Touray for his kind remarks about him and his capabilities and he
promised to work hand-in-hand with staff members during his term of duty in New York. The
Mission, he went on, was not strange to him because he had been coming there and interacting
with staff during the UN General Assembly when he served as Chief of Protocol at State House.
Mr. Sesay then disclosed the modus operandi he intends to adopt in dealing with the staff to
ensure a peaceful, but progressive work place atmosphere. He told the staff that he believes in
the principles of transparency and team work and, as the staff has observed already, he makes
sure that he seeks the input of other members of staff in the decision-making process of the
Mission. He wants every staff to be part of the decision-making process in the Mission because
the work should be a collective responsibility. He also believes that this will enhance the
working relations between him and members of the staff.

SEATED BY MR. SESAY IS MINISTER PLENIPOTENTIARY LEEROY WILFRED
KABS-KANU
Mr. Sesay assured the staff that he will make sure that he gives a listening ear to the problems of
every staff member and where possible he will ensure that he renders the necessary help but,
being a very frank man, he will also be honest to indicate to staff where help was not possible.
He called on staff to be open-minded and frank with him in return, not hesitating to politely
bring to his notice areas that need to be addressed.

OTHER MEMBERS OF STAFF AT THE MEETING: IN THE MIDDLE IS
COUNSELOR NALLO AND RIGHT IS MR. KAHN
In what turned out to be an interactive session, every member of staff took the floor to welcome
Mr. Sesay personally and to assure him of their full cooperation and support. Some of the career
diplomats said that they had worked with Mr. Sesay at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and
International Cooperation before they were assigned to New York .They described him as an
efficient and hard-working man with whom they also had excellent working relations. They
expressed confidence that Mr. Sesay will acquit himself of his responsibilities at the Mission.
Apart from the Permanent Representative, Ambassador Shako Touray, other members of the
diplomatic staff present were the Minister Plenipotentiary, Mr. Leroy Wilfred Kabs-Kanu, the
Financial Attaché , Mr. Varfomba Barwoh, the Military Adviser, Col. Ronnie
Harlston, Counselor Saidu Nallo , Mr. Franklyn Fawundu, Mr.Lamin Khan and Mr. Saifu
George . Local staff who attended the meeting included the Office Manager , Mr.Ahmed Smart,
the Special Assistant to the Permanent Representative , Mrs. Iris Max-Macarthy , the
receptionist Mrs. Fatmata Jalloh and the drivers.

Before the meeting, Muslim prayers were rendered by Mr. Varfomba Barwoh while Mrs.
Sherene Ranasinghe offered the Christian prayers.
Mr. Sesay is the fourth new Foreign Service official who arrived in New York at the tail end of
last year to take up assignments in the Mission. Other diplomats posted to New York last year
were Messrs.’ Franklin Fawundu, Lamina Kahn and Saifu George.
The meeting ended with staff expressing optimism that a healthy and progressive working
relationship was hopefully imminent between the new HOC and members of staff.
Leeroy Wilfred Kabs-Kanu
Minister Plenipotentiary and Coordinator of the Committee of 10 on UN Security Coucil Reform
Permanent Mission of Sierra Leone to the UN
245 E 49th Street, New York, NY 10017
Tel: (212 ) 688 - 1656 Ext. 18