From right, Mr. Nuquay, 3rd from right, Minister Wlue, and other officials.Transport Minister Samue A. Wlue has officially assumed the chairmanship of the Roberts Flight Information Region (RFIR) Ministerial Council, taking over from his Guinean Counterpart, Aboubacar Sylla, at the end of the annual Ministerial Council meeting on Saturday, September 15, at a resort in Margibi County.Shortly after taking over, Wlue expressed gratitude for the opportunity to chair the council for one year.“The honor is not only for me, but for Liberia that we are all proud of as our dear country. And so, I will work in close collaboration with my colleagues and the secretary-general for the upliftment of the RFIR to another level,” Minister Wlue said.Mr. Wlue called on staffers to redouble their effort in the discharge of their duties for the continued growth of the sector.The Ministerial Council of the FIR comprises the ministers of transport of Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia. It is the highest decision-making body of the organization.It decides on matters of finance and general operation submitted to it by the Technical Committee, which is also composed of the directors of general civil aviation of the three member states as well as the secretariat.As chairman, Wlue will lead his counterparts in defining the general policy of the RFIR. He will also play a lead role in defining any matter submitted to that body by the technical committee and the secretariat.The RFIR was established on January 17, 1975, by the heads of the three countries, to regulate the unified air space of member states.The Technical Committee of the RFIR comprise of three directors general of the civil aviation authority of the three member states, including Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.This year’s Technical Committee and Ministerial Council meeting, which began on Thursday and ended Saturday, September 15, brought together ministers of transport of the three countries, directors general of member states and other stakeholders in the air navigation sector.The head of the secretariat is Badara Alieu Tarawaley from Sierra Leone; Deputy Secretary General for Technical Affairs is Mohamed Soumah from Guinea, while Lasana B. Sannor is Liberia’s representative to the RFIR on Administrative Affairs.
Participants at the kick-off of the Technical Committee conference on on September 13 in Margibi CountyLiberia’s Civil Aviation Authority (LCAA) Director-General, Emmanuel Nuquay, said the meeting was intended to review and validate report from the technical committee’s activities and the operation budget of the RFIR.Mr. Nuquay called on participants to consider the review and renewal of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between LCAA and the Civil Aviation Authorities of Guinea and Sierra Leone, which will grant oversight authority of the RFIR to the LCAA.He said the MOU is in the interest of the RFIR and its member states, because it will be in the supreme interest of the three states.According to Mr. Nuquay, the MOU will alleviate some of the burdens that they currently carried, provide an opportunity to improve the enumeration of air navigation employees, and further help to equip them.Moses T. Baio, Deputy Director General of Sierra Leone Civil Aviation Authority, said holding of the technical committee meetings has always served as a platform for dialogue between the administrative sector of the RFIR.Mr. Baio said the conference usually provides the platform for the development of the RFIR in terms of adding value to the organization.He added, “I’m convinced that this year’s meeting will lead to the advancement of the RFIR to another level.”Share this:Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)