Meet the Foreign Affairs Cluster of COLED—A Collaborative Partner for Diplomatic Renewal
The Foreign Affairs Cluster of the Coalition of Liberian Experts in America (COLED) consists of highly skilled and experienced professionals, each bringing extensive knowledge gained through rigorous training in their fields. Motivated by a passion for national prosperity, this group aligns its expertise with Development Diplomacy’s core mission—transforming the Liberian foreign service into an efficient, ethical, and results-driven organization capable of fostering economic growth and attracting essential international resources.
The Cluster functions as a willing and capable technical partner, providing essential capacity support to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) upon request. Its role is to quickly transfer specialized knowledge, share international best practices, and deliver targeted training programs that enhance staff diplomatic skills, negotiation techniques, and understanding of complex international relations. Importantly, the Cluster is neither an implementer nor a parallel structure to the government’s administrative bodies. It is an external resource that offers technical assistance and expertise strictly upon request to help accelerate the MFA’s modernization efforts.
The expertise offered by the Cluster is strategically focused on supporting the government’s objectives, including:
- Institutional Capacity Building: Providing information and training to strengthen the MFA’s organizational capacity, streamline its structure, implement effective performance management, and uphold strict ethical standards for diplomats.
- Digital Transformation: Offering guidance on using modern technology to increase efficiency and enhance consular services, such as implementing online visa applications, passport renewals, and citizen registration platforms.
- Economic Resource Mobilization: Sharing knowledge on public diplomacy, donor engagement, and leveraging international networks to attract more development assistance and foreign direct investment into Liberia.
Through this specialized consultative partnership, the COLED Foreign Affairs Cluster is dedicated to helping the government build a more modern, efficient, and impactful foreign service, fostering greater national development and increasing Liberia’s global presence.
Meet Our Cluster Members:
S. Sando Wayne, II
Chair, Foreign Relations Cluster, COLED
S. Sando Wayne, II
Chair, Foreign Relations Cluster, COLED
Sando Wayne is a highly accomplished policy architect and institutional leader whose career combines top diplomatic service, proven technical policy expertise, and a philosophical commitment to Development Diplomacy. Currently serving as the Chair of the Foreign Affairs Cluster at COLED, he focuses on translating strategic foreign policy into measurable national growth, effective governance, and sustainable international partnerships.
His diplomatic experience was shaped during his crucial tenure as Deputy Minister for International Cooperation and Economic Integration at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Liberia. During this time, he played a key, high-level role in advancing Liberia’s multilateral economic integration, directly contributing to the country’s notable accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO).
Mr. Wayne represented Liberia at various international forums worldwide. Notably, his diplomatic efforts extended to the global stage, where he spoke at the United Nations’ Sixty-seventh General Assembly’s Second Committee (Economic and Financial) in 2012, outlining key national economic priorities and advocating for continued development assistance.
Additionally, he actively engaged in UN policy discussions on tackling host-country institutional challenges, offering a detailed critique of police development efforts in post-conflict states and emphasizing the “hardware gap” that impedes the professionalization of the Liberian National Police. He also supported Liberia’s approval of the UN Arms Trade Treaty (ATT).
In his bilateral efforts, he effectively managed strategic relationships, securing vital development aid and resources from international partners like Japan and China for the construction of the Japanese–Liberian Freeway and the Ellen Johnson Sirleaf Ministerial Complex, respectively.
Mr. Wayne’s professional reputation is supported by a specialized policy framework developed through multiple advanced studies, including master’s degrees in International Relations, Public Affairs (PA), and Curriculum & Instruction (C&I) from reputable U.S. universities. This multidisciplinary background guarantees expertise not only in diplomatic theory but also in effective policy implementation, human capital development, and institutional capacity building—key elements for long-term development efforts.
Crucially, his ability to conduct thorough, technical policy analysis is supported by his experience as a senior executive policy advisor to Dr. Amos C. Sawyer, former President of the Interim Government of National Unity, and the former Vice President of Liberia, H.E. Joseph Nyuma Boakai, who is the current President of Liberia, as well as a consultant for the World Bank Group. There, he developed policies on complex issues—including Liberia’s Diagnostic Trade Integration strategies and governance reform. This diverse background, which includes serving as an Adjunct Lecturer in Diplomacy and Negotiation at the Ibrahim B. Babangida School of International Studies at the University of Liberia and leading private sector resource governance and community infrastructure projects, ensures that the cluster’s policy recommendations are viable, financially sound, politically acceptable, and operationally feasible. In today’s information environment, where unregulated online discourse and misinformation erode public trust, Mr. Wayne’s strong dedication to objective, technical policy analysis and verifiable results is essential for grounding foreign affairs strategy in facts and maintaining the cluster’s professional integrity in global engagement.