Liberia’s Vice President Jewel Howard-Taylor was among 35 African heads of states and government at the First Russia-Africa Summit held in Sochi, Russian Federation, from Oct. 23-24, and “she made a strong case at her first major international stage.”
Representing President George Weigh, in her presentation she said that Africa “remains the last economic frontier zone in the world, and is therefore opened for business, industrialization and international cooperation,” The Daily Observer reported on Oct. 27.
She said that Africa cannot continue to do business as usual and stressed the need to transform the continent’s natural resources to finished products for the global market.
“VP Taylor also applauded the leadership of President Vladimir Putin for his level of international engagements with the African continent, and called for an international cooperation based on mutual interest,” according to The Observer.
She reiterated Weah’s pronouncement that Liberia is opened for business, and will continue to create the economic ambiance to engender trade and investment.
The Liberian vice president thanked the Russian government for their support to Liberia in the fight against the Ebola virus disease and the provision of training for Liberians in the mining sector.
The Russia-Africa Summit was the first of its kind in the history of Russia and Africa relations. It featured the economic and political forums, which centered on Russia’s economic agenda for Africa.