US Embassy welcomes Boa Lee as Public Affairs Officer

By Zainab Kanu

The United States Embassy in Sierra Leone has announced its new Public Affairs Officer from the United States of America in the person of Boa Lee. In a meeting with members of the media yesterday which took place at Café De La Rose, Lee said that she’s happy to be in Sierra Leone, as it is her first time coming to Africa. In the USA she said she’s been working in the media department and has served as consultant for other organizations, and she is well familiar with media issues that have to do with the work of the Embassy.

Boa Lee replaces Mark Carr, who enjoyed a very cordial relationship with the Sierra Leone media.

Lee promised that she will put all her effort in her line of duty in the next couple years that she would be in charge of the Public Affairs office.

She reiterated that the media has an integral role to play in maintaining peace and development, and a tool to advocate for the voiceless.

Furthermore, the journalists said they are expecting the US Embassy to be very proactive in providing support to the media in terms of professional training and capacity building, and exchange programs in academic studies, as other Embassies are doing, so that the US Embassy would be seen to be useful to the deserving in the Sierra Leone media.

Responding, Boa Lee said that she is not promising anything but hopes that with colleagues at the Embassy she would be in a position to make a case so that the Embassy will see what they can do in that regard, especially in the area of strengthening working relationship between the media and the Embassy.