By Jerromie S. Walters
As many stood with her regardless of how she was brought to public disrepute, Madam Sara Beysolow Nyanti disappointed her critics , as she displayed competence and expertise, a situation that left the Liberian Senate with no other choice but thoroughly impressed.
The Foreign Minister designate, Madam Sara Beysolow Nyanti, confirmation hearing was held on Monday, February 5, 2024. As those that believe in her potential expected, Madam Nyanti, who presented a comprehensive hundred-day plan for the Foreign Ministry, captivated the senators with her vision for regulating the passport department and strengthening Liberia’s foreign relations.
One of the key areas of focus during the confirmation hearing was Nyanti’s strategy for reforming the passport department within the Ministry. The senators were particularly interested in her plans to streamline the process and ensure efficiency. Nyanti’s well-thought-out proposals and clear vision for improvement of the Ministry left many senators convinced of her ability to bring about positive change as Liberia’s Foreign Minister.
As it has played from Administration to administration, Madam Nyanti holds the thought that if Liberia is to progress, the nation must avoid be dependent on handouts. More to this, she emphasized the need for Liberia to strengthen its system of governance. “We need to strengthen our system of governance so that we can avoid external interference as a country.”
If confirmed, Madam Nyanti has vowed to ensure that at the international levels, Liberia’s decisions will concur with the African Union. In her opinion, LIberia needs to adopt a new pattern of global relationship that will bring the country closer to its traditional friends.
She tells the Senate: “We must remain committed to the cause of African unity when it comes to us taking a united decision that will benefit the continent. We need to adopt a new pattern of global relationship that will bring our country closer to our traditional friends, not as a father and son, not as two friends walking and working side by side for our mutual benefits.”
Furthermore, Nyanti’s extensive experience in the international arena over the past two decades played a significant role in winning over the senators. Her track record and accomplishments at the level of the UN stage instilled confidence in the senators, who believe that she will be able to achieve even greater success for Liberia as Foreign Minister than she did during her tenure at the United Nations.
Sen. Konneh’s testimony
In a Facebook post via his official page following the confirmation hearing, Gbarpolu County Senator Amara Konneh wrote: “As a ranking member of the Senate’s Foreign Affairs Committee, I did my own due diligence on Madam Sara Beysolow Nyanti, President Joseph Boakai’s nominee for Foreign Minister. Her degrees from Western Governors University – an accredited online university where you can earn an affordable, accredited, career-focused college degree at an accelerated pace – are legitimate. I saw the transcripts.
He made it emphatically clear that he didn’t see any for Andrew Jackson University, which is now defunct. “It was founded as a for-profit institution in 1994 by Robert McKim Norris Jr. and D. Michael Barrett.”
He further noted- “After being acquired in 2010 by Universitynow, Inc., it was renamed New Charter University, and subsequently in 2020, it was again renamed Bottega University (in Salt Lake City). Accredited as an online educational platform, it offers certificates and undergraduate and graduate courses. She may not have followed the traditional route in the pursuit of her university education that we are all accustomed to, but if a degree from an accredited university is a requirement, she has one.”
Concerning the circumstances of her UN assignments, Senator Konneh narrated, “I spoke to two former senior UN officials who are familiar with her work, a senior former official of the International Republican Institute who was assigned to South Sudan at the time, and a retired former UN official who is familiar with her work in Nepal. I also had the privilege to speak with John Garang’s widow, South Sudan’s former First Lady and one of the country’s five VPs. All gave satisfactory feedback on her work. I am familiar with her work in Yemen when I served as head of the World Bank’s Global Hub for Fragile States.”
According to him, his issue was integrity and her ability to deliver. However, he admitted: “My own research and outreach to people who are familiar with her work reassured me. I do not doubt that she is competent to be our Foreign Minister. Could there be other issues? I don’t know.”
He says: “This is why the Foreign Affairs Committee chaired by Senator Abe Darius Dillon has decided to do a second hearing in the Committee Room before forwarding the nominee to the Senate Plenary for a vote. The Senate is an elder’s house, and we must act like it by being thorough in our decision-making processes void of emotions and public sentiments. Madam Beysolow Nyanti’s story gives hope to Liberian women.”
