A two-week Protocol Refresher Training Workshop aimed at enhancing the performance of personnel and protocol officers across the three branches of government is expected to commence Wednesday, March 7, at the Gabriel L. Dennis Foreign Service Institute of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

A Foreign Ministry release says the workshop, which is intended to deepen the knowledge and skills of Protocol Officers and other personnel of government assigned at the Offices of the President, the Vice President, will also incorporate protocol staffs of the Legislature, the Judiciary as well as the Ministries of Foreign Affairs, State for Presidential Affairs, Internal Affairs and Finance and Development Planning. 

The proposed protocol training workshop will cover Assistant Ministers from the above Ministries.

Others are Chiefs of Office Staff, Administrative and Special Assistants, Research Analysts and Research Assistants at the National Legislature.

The workshop is expected to focus on thematic areas including the structures and functions of the Office of the President, the Vice President, the Legislature and the Judiciary.

During the training period, participants would be trained in Protocol and Etiquette, Diplomatic Communication writing, including Note Verbale, Memoir and regular official communications.     

Participants will also be drilled through foreign policy and channel of implementations, national conferences, diplomatic negotiations and functions, etc.

Ambassador George W. Wallace, Jnr.  Advisor to the President on Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Robert Y. Lormia, Ambassador-At-Large, Hon. J. Emmanuel Bowier, Lecturer at the FSI and Cllr. Deweh Gray, Deputy Minister for Legal Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs are expected to serve as key facilitators for the training. 

As part of his immediate Action Plan, Foreign Minister Gbehzohngar Milton Findley during his confirmation hearing at the Liberian Senate, promised to conduct training for all protocol officers across government ministries and agencies in order for them to be more effective during state functions.

Most national functions and state forums in Liberia are usually characterized by massive protocol deficiencies and this requires a routine and refresher protocol training to address.