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French diplomat and international communications specialist Anne Testuz has announced that she will soon relocate to Colombia to take up a new role overseeing international communications between Africa and South America as part of a Sierra Leone-led diplomatic initiative.
In a statement shared on the social media X (formerly Twitter), Testuz revealed that she had kept the appointment confidential for nearly a year before making it public.
“After almost a year of keeping it secret, I can finally announce it: I’ll soon be leaving for Colombia,” she wrote.
According to Testuz, she will serve as Director of International Communications between Africa and South America, working under the authority of Sierra Leone’s Ambassador-at-Large, whose official appointment, she said, “will be announced shortly.”
Anne Testuz with Colombian flag.
She added that the initiative will position Sierra Leone as the African hub for the cooperation, while Colombia will serve as its South American base, reflecting what she described as “a new adventure connecting Africa, Mercosur and Latin America.”
Testuz described the appointment as a major professional milestone following more than 25 years working in political and international communications.
“This appointment is a wonderful milestone after more than 25 years in political and international communications,” she said.
Despite her relocation, Testuz indicated that she would remain actively engaged with developments in France.
As of the time of publication, Sierra Leonean authorities had not publicly announced the appointment of the Ambassador-at-Large referenced by Testuz, and further details about the diplomatic initiative linking Sierra Leone, Colombia and the wider Mercosur region have yet to be officially released.
The announcement nevertheless signals an emerging effort to strengthen engagement between Africa and South America, with Sierra Leone expected to play a central coordinating role on the African side of the initiative.
With Sierra Leone sitting on the bulge of West Africa facing Brazil and the northern coast of South America, it is closest to South America, and experts have advised the Sierra Leonean authorities to leverage that in establishing diplomatic ties with Latin America.
