Sierra Leone Telegraph:
President Bio last week announced bursting ministerial line up for his final term of office, despite calls for his government to reduce public spending and cut down waste in line with the tight fiscal policy measures recently recommended by the IMF.
This brings the total number of ministers and other appointees announced in the last few days by President Bio to over 80, compared with his relatively smaller cabinet appointed in 2018.
Those re-appointed or appointed to the cabinet are:
Austin H. Demby- Minister of Health
Amara Kallon- Minister of Public Administration and Political Affairs
Jiwoh Abdulai- Minister of the Environment and Climate Change Minister of Youth Affairs
Mohamed Orman Bangura – Minister of Youth Affairs
Mohamed R. Swaray – Minister of Employment, Labour and Social Security Minister of Internal Affairs
Major-General (Rtd.) David T.O. Taluva – Minister of Internal Affairs
Henry M. Kpaka – Minister of Agriculture and Food Security
Chernor Bah – Minister of Information and Civic Education
Alhaji Kanja Sesay – Minister of Energy
Alhaji Fanday Turay – Minister of Transport and Aviation
Tamba Lamina – Minister of Local Government and Community Affairs
Sao-Kpato Hannah Max- Kyne – Minister of Water Resources and Sanitation
Princess Dugba – Minister of Fisheries and Marine Resources
Nabeela F. TunisMinister of Tourism and Cultural Affairs
Turad Senesie – Minister of Lands, Housing and Country Planning Minister of Planning
Kenyeh Ballay – Minister of Planning and Economic Development
Melrose Karminty – Minister of Social Welfare
Isata Mahoi – Minister of Gender and Children’s Affairs
Denis Sandy- Minister of Works and Public Assets
Augusta James Teima – Minister of Sports
Haja Salimatu Bah – Minister of Communication, Technology and Innovation
Adekunle King – Minister of the Western region
Abu Abu Abdulai Koroma- Resident Minister, North
Mohamed E.K. Alie – Resident Minister, South
Umaru B. Wurie- Resident Minister, North-West
Gbessay Jusu Ngobeh – Resident Minister, East
DEPUTY MINISTERS
Col (Rtd.) Muana Brima Massaquoi – Deputy Minister of Defence
Alpha Sesay – Deputy Minister of Justice
Charles Senesie – Deputy Minister of Health 1
Jalikatu Mustapha – Deputy Minister of Health 2
Philip Tetema Tondoneh – Deputy Minister of Public Administration and Political Affairs
Patrick M. Gibrilla – Deputy Minister of Youth Affairs
Mohamed Lansana Dumbuya – Deputy Minister of Employment, Labour and Social Security
Theresa T. Dick – Deputy Minister (1) of Agriculture and Food Security
Sahr Hemore – Deputy Minister (2) of Agriculture and Food Security
Eldred Tunde Taylor – Deputy Minister of Energy
Yusuf Keketoma Sandi – Deputy Minister of Information and Civic Education
Rex Bhonapha – Deputy Minister of Transport and Aviation
Alfred Jamiru – Deputy Minister of Local Government and Community Affairs
Francis A. Kallon – Deputy Minister of Water Resources and Sanitation
Haja isata Abdulai Kamara – Deputy Minister of Fisheries and Marine Resources
Kadiatu G.A. Kamara – Deputy Minister of Tourism and Cultural Affairs
Phylis Kapu – Deputy Minister of Lands, Housing and Country Planning
Dr. Jonathan Titus Williams – Deputy Minister of Planning and Economic Development
Hindowa Buakai Bindi – Deputy Minister of Gender and Children’s Affairs
Queen Fofana – Deputy Minister of Works and Public Assets
Ibrahim Sannoh – Deputy Minister of Communication, Technology and Innovatio
OTHER APPOINTMENTS
Alhaji Dr. Alpha Bakarr Sahid Kanu – Presidential Spokesman
Solomon Jamiru – Press Secretary
Kandeh Yumkella – Chairman, Presidential Initiative for Climate Change, Renewable Energy and Food Security
Michael Imran Kanu – Ambassador and Permanent Representative for Sierra Leone to the United Nations
Amara Sowa – Deputy Permanent Representative for Sierra Leone to the United Nations
Brigadier-General (Rtd.) Kellie Conteh – National Security Adviser
Ernest Ndomahina – Commissioner, National Commission for Social Action
Lamina P. Vamboi – State Chief of Protocol
Abdul Kpakra – Executive Officer 1, Office of the President
Karmoh K. Conteh – Executive officer 2, Office of the President
The first group of ministers named early this week are:
Mohamed Lamin Tarawally – Attorney General & Justice Minister
Sheku Ahmed Fatmanti Bangura – Minister of Finance
Timothy Musa Kabba – Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation
Ramatulai Wurie (Haja) – Minister of Technical and Higher Education
Conrad Sackey Ibrahim – Minister of Basic and Senior Secondary Education
Ibrahim Alpha Sesay – Minster of Trade & Industry
Julius Mattai – Minister of Mines and Mineral Resources
Manty Tarawalie – Minister of State, Office of Vice President
Mrs Jeneba Bangura – Deputy Minister 1, Ministry of Finance
Mr Bockarie Kalokoh – Deputy Minister 2, Ministry of Finance
Mrs Francess Peagie Alghali – Deputy Minister, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation
Mr Sarjoh Aziz Kamara – Deputy Minister, Ministry of Technical and Higher Education
Mrs Emily K. Gogra – Deputy Minister 1, Ministry of Basic and Senior Secondary Education
Mrs Mamusu Massaquoi – Deputy Minister 2, Ministry of Basic and Senior Secondary Education
Mrs Fatamata Wurie – Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry
Mr Umaru Napoleon Koroma – Deputy Minister of Mines and Mineral Resources
Other Appointments
Mr Mathew Dingie – Financial Secretary
Mr Yankuba Askia Bio – General-Manager, Sierra Leone Ports Authority
Mrs Judith Kosseh – Deputy Director-General, Sierra Leone Ports Authority
Brima Swarray – Commissioner-general, National Revenue Authority
Mrs Ann-Marie Harding – Deputy Commissioner-general 1, National Revenue Authority
Gerald Ganda – Deputy Commissioner-general 2, National Revenue Authority
Amara Brewah – Director-general, National Communications Authority
Mariama Koroma – Deputy Commissioner-general, National Communications Authority.
President Julius Maada Bio’s announcement has been described as one of the youngest and most inclusive cabinets the country has seen. Nine of the ministers appointed are under 40, and 33% of all appointees are women.
Writing on Twitter, President Bio said: “I welcome every appointee and urge them to see their appointments as a national call to service. The task ahead deserves every sense of duty and responsibility. With dedication and our collective efforts, my new Administration will strive to build a safe, secure and prosperous future for Sierra Leone.”
What is of note however, is that many of his long-trusted ministers have been sacked, including former Foreign Minister – Professor David Francis; former Deputy Internal Affairs Minister – Lahai Lawrence Leema, who many have accused of killing several opposition protesters; and former Chief Minister – JJ Saffa.
Dr Kandeh Yumkella & President Bio
Dr Kandeh Yumkella, who many expected to play a key role in the new Bio-led government has been rewarded for his loyalty to President Bio, with the position of Chairman of a new committee set up by the President to look at food security, energy and climate change issues.
But some of Bio’s old guards have retained their ministerial portfolio, including Dr Austin Dembi, who stays at Ministry of Health, with responsibility for sanitation removed from his portfolio.
Kanja Sesay stays on as Minister of Energy. Dr Turad Senesie continues as Minister of Lands and Country Planning.
Tamba Lamina stays on at the Ministry of Local Government and Community Affairs, while Mohamed Orman Bangura remains at the Ministry of Youths.
Former Minister of Information and Communication, Mohamed Rahman Swaray has been sent to head the Ministry of Employment, Labour and Social Security, replacing Alpha Timbo, who has been sacked from the government.
What comes as a surprise though, is the creation of two new ministries: Information and Civic Education Ministry; and the Ministry for Communication, Technology and Innovation.
Former Press Secretary at the Office of the President – Yusuf Keketoma Sandi, is now Deputy Minister of Information and Civic Education.
Dr Memuna Pratt has been sacked as Minister of Tourism and Cultural Affairs, after failing to improve the country’s tourism industry. She has been replaced by Nabeela F. Tunis.
Adekunle King, a former Labour Minister, has replaced Nabeela Tunis as Minister of Western Area with strategic responsibility for the development of Freetown.
The controversial former Minister of Lands – Dr. Denis Sandy, who was sacked by President Bio two years ago, has made a comeback to the government lineup. He is now the new Minister of Works and Public Assets.
With Sierra Leone’s economy teetering on the edge of bankruptcy, and the IMF and World Bank holding back their financial support after the country’s main opposition APC party declared it will not work with the Bio-led SLPP government until all polling station results of Presidential and General Elections held last month have been published, and the current political crisis resolved, serious concerns are being raised about the cost and affordability of President Bio’s over-bloated cabinet.
