*Dr. Bropleh

By: Nat Bayjay, nbayjay2010@gmail.com (231-77-402737)

Liberia’s Minister of Information, Culture & Tourism, Dr. Laurence Konmla Bropleh has been elected Vice Chairman of the Steering Committee of the World EXPO 2010 to be held in Shanghai, China. Dr. Bropleh who is also the Commissioner General for Liberia for the World EXPO 2010, was elected last week in Shanghai, China at the Constituent Session of the College of Commissioners General of the World EXPO 2010.

According to a MICAT dispatch from Shanghai, the election was highly competitive with 184 Commissioner Generals representing 184 countries vying for 32 seats on the Steering Committee. Liberia was among only seven countries out of Africa elected to the Steering Committee with Dr. Bropleh being elected as the Vice Chairman, representing the entire continent of Africa. This will be the first World EXPO where all 54 countries in Africa will be represented. Mr. Hiroshi Tsukamoto of Japan was elected Chairman with Finland and Chile as Vice Chairs for Europe and the Americas respectively.

The Steering Committee is the highest Governing Body of the World Exposition whose mandates include consulting and assisting organizers and nations, resolution of disputes, good governance of the EXPO 2010, among others.

The Theme for the World EXPO 2010 in Shanghai is “Better City, Better Life.” In his acceptance speech delivered shortly after his election, Dr. Bropleh thanked the member nations of the Steering Committee for their confidence him and by extension the people of Liberia and Africa to serve this world body. He praised President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf for her continuous support to him as a public servant and promised to duly justify with creativity and transformative leadership the confidence reposed in him to serve as Vice Chairman of the World EXPO 2010 Steering Committee. Minister Bropleh said that the Theme: “Better City, Better Life” has meaning for Liberia and Africa, for within Africa the lives of its citizens are gradually improving with transformation occurring in various cities around the continent. He spoke of the efforts of Monrovia’s Acting City Mayor Mary Broh to keep Monrovia clean and challenged his colleagues on the Steering Committee to seek to make this World EXPO 2010 in Shanghai the best ever.

Minister Bropleh returned to Liberia over the weekend.