On Wednesday, 20th February 2019, the Sierra Leone High Commissioner to the UK and Ireland HE Tamba James Sylvanus Lamina, was chauffeured to the inner chambers of Saint James Court in a royal horse-drawn carriage to present his diplomatic credentials to the Queen. They discussed her special interest in Sierra Leone and the struggles to overcome its development challenges.

Following the ceremony, the High Commissioner delivered a speech declaring the break of “a new dawn” in Sierra Leone’s history.

High Commissioner Lamina underlined the increasingly shared view that “the Athens of Africa is rising again” and sent an open invitation to anyone interested in helping the country realise its “golden goals and glorious dreams.”

Speaking on the long standing historical link between Sierra Leone and Britain, the High Commissioner acknowledged Britain’s positive role during Sierra Leone’s testy times – such as the civil war and Ebola outbreak.

Also present at the ceremony was his wife Mrs Salma Lamina; The Deputy High Commissioner Mrs Agness Dugba Macauley and her husband; Mr. Charlie Ojukutu Macauley; Her Royal Highness the Queen’s marshal of the diplomatic corps; and Patricia Scotland, the first female Secretary General of the Commonwealth of Nations.

There were several other high profile guests including Sierra Leone’s Minister of Information Honorable Rado Swaray, and Honorable Haji Kella, the Deputy Minister for Social Welfare, Gender and Children’s Affairs. Both previous Deputy High Commissioners at the Sierra Leone’s UK mission – Mr. Tamba Ngegba and Mr. James Alie - were also present. To demonstrate his country’s inclusive agenda, the High Commissioner invited about 150 Sierra Leoneans from every walk of life to be part of this ceremony, organised to honour a milestone in the history of Sierra Leone’s diplomatic mission in the UK.