RFIR HOLDS TWO-DAY MINISTERIAL COUNCIL MEETING
Photo Credit: Information Technology
Monrovia: Tuesday, July 14, 2015: Consistent with its tradition, an annual meeting of the Ministerial Council of Roberts Flight Information Region (RFIR) comprising the Ministers of Transport of Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia was held on Wednesday, July 8, 2015 in the Sierra Leonean Capital, Freetown.
In attendance were the members of the Secretariat comprising the Secretary General and Deputy Secretary Generals for Administration and Technical respectively, the Director Generals of Civil Aviation, Member States, Representatives of the RFIR, Mano River Union (MRU), as well as support staff of the RFIR and observers.
In his opening remarks, the Minister of Transport and Aviation of Sierra Leone, Hon. Leonard B. Koroma recognized his colleagues, Hon. Angela Cassell Bush, Minister of Transport of the Republic of Liberia and Hon. Aliou Diallo, Minister of Transport of Guinea as well as Executives of the RFIR Secretariat and Technical Committee respectively. The Chairman recalled that at the last meeting, the outlook and goal projection of the RFIR was very promising. He further informed his colleagues that The RFIR’S Action Plan as well as regional flight operations were affected as a result of the outbreak of the deadly Ebola Virus Disease in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone respectively. Chairman Koroma welcomed the delegation and wished them a fruitful deliberation that would help strengthen the activities of the RFIR.
The Minister of Transport of the of the Republic of Liberia, Hon. Angela Cassell Bush who also made a brief statement during the official opening of the extraordinary session of the Ministerial Council conveyed warm felicitations from the President of the Republic of Liberia, Her Excellency Madam Ellen Johnson Sirleaf. She called on Member States of the RFIR to remain focused in the achievement of the overall goal and objective of the organization in order to strengthen regional cooperation and create economic opportunities for citizens of member states. She said the RFIR compared to its counterparts in the region, is relatively small, but that member states have found strength and are therefore resolved to make it work. Minister Bush averred that the direction of the RFIR requires the establishment of a highly effective system for control of flights in the sub region and equally effective resource management mechanism that is broad based and representative of prevailing realities.
In conclusion, Minister Bush said that though the outbreak of the Ebola Virus Disease interrupted the activities of the RFIR which resulted in the loss of revenue, the organization can establish the necessary mechanisms to restore its financial position as well as institute programs that will benefit member states as they recover from the EVD attack. “We have previously proposed that RFIR provides some assistance to Ebola affected member states and we maintain this position as the epidemic continues to spread and regain territories previously freed from its grip”, Minister Bush stressed in her statement.
The extraordinary meeting of the Ministerial Council was preceded by a two-day meeting of the Technical Committee of the RFIR which comprises the Director Generals of Civil Aviation of member states.
The meeting was interactive with several presentations from the Technical Committee, the Secretariat and other experts.
The Ministerial Council of the Roberts Flight Information Region is responsible to define the general policy of the RFIR, decide on matters of finance and general operations summited by the Technical committee which comprises the Directors of civil Aviation of members states and the secretariat which is headed by the secretary General. The RFIR is a sub – regional body established in the 70s by Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia to regulate the upper air space of the three countries.