“You are a legendary, a true leader and hero and we are proud of your achievements; not just against Ebola but for the recovery from conflict and under- development to real growth and development,” Dr. Friedland emphasized.

He said it was incredible for him to host President Sirleaf whom he described as “extraordinary and capable.”

He made the statement when the Liberian leader visited the NETCARE entity.

According to a dispatch from Johannesburg, the Liberian leader and delegation arrived Thursday in South Africa and were received at the O.R. Tambo International Airport by high ranking officials of the Liberian Embassy, African Union and South African Government.

The NETCARE CEO provided some history about the work of his organization, particularly in South Africa and Lesotho were thousands of people have benefitted from healthcare services and training in the health portfolio.

He said a public/private partnership initiative between his institution and governments greatly enhances healthcare mainly for poor rural people across the African continent.

At the event organized by the Johannesburg Chambers of Commerce where she delivered a statement, President Sirleaf pointed out that her visit to the institution came as a result of her presence in Johannesburg for the 25th AU Summit which runs from June 14-15, 2015.

She recognized the role of other long-standing friends of Liberia and thanked the country’s Ambassador to South Africa, Lois Lewis Bruthus, for arranging the event.

President Sirleaf told the audience that Liberia is a well-endowed country with a lot of natural resources and reflected on the many difficult periods that the country has gone through.

“We lost some of our development goals due to the many different difficult periods the country has experienced, but we are trying once again to rebuild,” she said.

She noted that the global financial melt-down also had impacted the country when the Ebola virus surfaced, but vowed that Liberia will overcome the impact of all this soon.
LINA GDJ/PTK