A three-day Mano River Union meeting focusing on technical education, training, and research has commenced in Monrovia.

The MRU meeting which includes delegates from Sierra Leone, Guinean, Ivory Coast and host Liberia, is aimed at coordinating and maximizing the use of existing education, training and research facilities within MRU member countries, expansion of education, training and research within the Mano River Union, as well as promoting industrial and economic progress by the encouragement of education, training and research.

The MRU Technical Commission conference is also intended to pool the Union's resources of any duplication nationally in the establishment of training and research institutions and facilities, which it says must be avoided, creating a Union Technical Commission for Education, Training and Research under the overall authority of the Union Ministerial Council, as well as putting together a strategy that would ensure how collectively, education and technical training can contribute to the development needs of member states, including addressing some of its pressing challenges.

In his official opening remarks Liberia's Finance Minister Amara Konneh, who is also Chairman of the MRU Ministerial Council, welcomed delegates and craved their indulgence so that the objectives and results of the meeting would be capitalized for the benefits of the Union.

"We all know that education is very important," Dr. Marcus Dahn, Deputy Minister for Administration, Ministry of Planning and Economic Affairs, said on behalf of Finance Minister Konneh.

"We also know that in the history of the development of humankind, no country has ever developed without having educated minds. So, it's befitting to see our sub-regional union getting deeply involved in education, training and research," he said.