Senate unanimously confirms Dr. Conteh, Joseph Johnson as Ambassadors to the USA and Morocco

Published: January 21, 2025

Capitol Hill – The plenary of the Liberian Senate has unanimously confirmed Dr. Al-Hassan Conteh and Mr. Joseph Johnson as Ambassadors to the United States of America (USA) and the Kingdom of Morocco, respectively.

By Blamo N. Toe, +231880320363/+231775963245

The confirmation of the two presidential nominees took place on Tuesday, January 21, 2025, following the presentation of reports by the Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs. The session was presided over by the Secretary of the Senate, Nanborlor Singbeh.

The Foreign Affairs Committee, chaired by Montserrado County Senator Abraham Darius Dillon, who also chairs the Committee on Information, Broadcasting, Tourism, and Cultural Affairs, led the vetting process. The committee’s co-chair, Senator Saah H. Joseph of Montserrado County, conducted public hearings with the nominees, paving the way for their confirmation.

Dr. Conteh and Mr. Johnson were among ten nominees announced by President Joseph Nyuma Boakai on November 6, 2024, for key foreign service positions. The nominations included assignments to the United States of America, the United Kingdom, France, Japan, Kuwait, Qatar, Senegal, Morocco, Ghana, and Liberia’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations in New York.

According to the Foreign Affairs Committee report read by Secretary Singbeh, the nominees demonstrated competence and readiness to represent Liberia on the global stage. “The committee on Foreign Affairs, having examined the credentials of the nominees and evaluated their ability to respond to inquiries during the hearings, recommends that Hon. Conteh be confirmed to the position as mentioned above,” the report stated.

Following the presentation of separate reports on the confirmation of Dr. Conteh and Mr. Johnson, Rivers Cess County Senator Wellington Geevon-Smith, Chair of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries, moved for their confirmation. The motion was seconded on the Senate floor.

All 22 senators present during the session voted in favor of the confirmations. Subsequently, the President Pro Tempore of the Liberian Senate, Nyonblee Karnga-Lawrence, instructed the Senate Secretariat to formally communicate the decision to the Executive Mansion.