Former President Ernest Bai Koroma has been honoured in Lusaka with two other former Heads of State with the highest national honours in the Republic of Zambia.
Zambian President H.E. Hakainde Hichilema conferred ‘The Order of The Eagle of Zambia’ 1st Division to Her Excellency Sirleaf Johnson, Former President of the Republic of Liberia, His Excellency Olusegun Obasanjo, Former President of the Republic of Nigeria, and His Excellency Ernest Bai Koroma, former President of the Republic of Sierra Leone.
The honours were conferred on the former Heads of State “for distinguishing themselves in their respective countries, on the African Continent and beyond and for their unrelenting efforts to establish and promote democracy and good governance as a precursor to improving the livelihoods of their people and other Africans”, said President Hichilema.
The citation for former President Koroma reads:
“Whereby you are the former ahead of State for the Republic of Sierra Leone and achieved many successes under your leadership as the fourth President of the Republic of Sierra Leone from 17th September 2007 – 4th April 2018; whereby since leaving politics, you have committed yourself to democratic processes across Africa, most recently leading election observer missions in Somaliland and notably Zambia; and whereby here in Zambia, you played a key role as head of the African Union Election Observer Mission in the peaceful transition of power from President Edgar Mungu to President Hakainde Hichilema, arising from elections held on the 12th of August, 2021. Your personal commitment and legacy towards a peaceful Africa through conflict resolution and the support for democracy deserve special recognition.”
Reacting to the award, President Koroma said: “I am committed to serve our continent but your recognition makes it even more worthy.”
The investiture came as a surprise to the awardees on the back of a planned Board Meeting of the Brenthurst Foundation which is scheduled to take place on 15 and 16 July 2022 in Livingston – Zambia’s second city.
Lusaka 15 July 2022
