Philadelphia – The Speaker of the Honorable House of Representatives of the 55th Legislature, Cllr. J. Fonati Koffa, will on Sunday cut short his trip in the United States of America (USA) to join President Joseph N. Boakai, Sr., in Rome, Italy, to attend the World Food Forum.
The Honorable Speaker, immediately after delivering the keynote address at the 12th National Convention of the Association of Liberian Journalists (ALJA) in Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, USA, will depart for Rome, Italy.
The ALJa convention is an annual event aimed to bring together several international Journalists of Liberian origin; ALJA members based in the US as well as journalists from Liberia. Also expected to attend are officials of the Liberian government, politicians, civil society actors and friends of the Liberian media.
The World Food Forum, scheduled from Monday to Friday, 14 -18 of October, organized by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), will bring together global leaders and stakeholders to discuss critical issues concerning global food security, sustainable agriculture, and rural developments.
It may be recalled, President Joseph Nyuma Boakai extended an invitation to House’s Speaker Koffa and three others to accompany him attend the five-day’s World Food Forum; including a luncheon with the Director General of the FAO, meetings with key international figures such as the President of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), and the Executive Director of the World Food Programme (WFP).
President Boakai and delegation will also have discussion with Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and other top Italian officials to discuss strategic partnerships and opportunities for collaboration. Moreover, the Presidential delegation will have audience with Pope Francis at the Vatican City . The discussion with the Pope Is to enhance the already positive relationship between the Holy city and Liberia.
Speaker Koffa is the highest ranking catholic parishioner ingovernment. President Joseph N Boakai is a Baptist while Vice President Jeremiah Koung is a Methodist. The Catholic Church in Liberia is among the leading social services providers, mostly in education and health through its schools and hospitals.
Meanwhile, the Presidential Delegation might also have discussion with the Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin in the company of the Vatican Secretary for Relations with States and International Organisations Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher. Liberia has about 800,000 Catholic believers, almost 20 percent of its total population of five million people. Thiis is the second holiest places the Speaker will be visiting in two years. Last year, the Speaker was in Israel, the birth place of Jesus Christ; the eternal, all-powerful, all-loving, self-existent Creator God.
