President Julius Maada Bio has continued with his appointment to cabinet, with the second and final list of appointees released on Saturday revealing more old guards shown the exit door, creating room for more younger folks to the top positions in government.
The new cabinet also appears to be more gender friendly, with the one of the largest appointment of women to cabinet.
Five ministers from the old guards retained their positions, including Dr Austin Dembi as Minister of Health, who had the Sanitation portfolio removed from his docket; Alhaji Kanja Sesay as Minister of Energy; Dr Turad Senesie as Minister of Lands and Country Planning; Tamba Lamina as Minister of Local Government and Community Affairs; and Mohamed Orman Bangura as Minister of Youths.
Former Minister of Information and Communication, Mohamed Rahman Swaray, remains in cabinet but in a new capacity as Minister of Employment, Labour and Social Security, replacing Alpha Ousman Timbo, who has been dropped from cabinet.
A total of 57 new appointees were named on Saturday, comprising 26 ministers, five of them regional (resident) Ministers, as well as 21 deputy ministers and 10 special appointments that include Presidential advisers and ambassadors.
Fourteen (14) of the appointees are women – eight ministers and six deputy ministers.
New entrants in the cabinet include youth and women’s rights activist Cherno Bah, who is Minister of Information and Civic Education.
What used to be Information and Communication Ministry has been split, with a new portfolio of Civic Education added to the Information docket and a separate docket of Communication, Technology and Innovation created, which is now headed by Mrs Haja Salimatu Bah.
Dr Sao-Kpato Hannah Max Kyne, former head of the National Commission for Social Action (NaCSA), another new entrant, is Minister of Water Resources and Sanitation.
Former Chief of Defense Staff in the Republic of Sierra Leone Armed Forces, Major-General (rtd) T. O. Taluva, is now charged with ensuring internal security as Minister of Internal Affairs, replacing David Maurice Panda-Noah.
Dr Henry M. Kpaka is the new Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, replacing Abu Bakar Karim.
Former Permanent Representative of Sierra Leone to the United Nations, Alhaji Fanday Turay, is the new Minister of Transport and Aviation, replacing Kabineh M. Kallon.
Princess Dugba, former deputy Minister of Health and Sanitation, is the new minister of Fisheries and Marine Resources, replacing Emma Kowa-Jalloh. And Nabeela F. Tunis bounces back to life as Minister of Tourism and Cultural Affairs, replacing Dr Memunatu Pratt. Tunis was the Minister of Western Area, a controversial position created in 2021, which is now occupied by Adekunle King, a former Labour Minister who currently represents Sierra Leone as Permanent Representative at the African Union.
Dr Mustapha Kaikai was also shown the exit door of the Ministry of Planning and Economic development, replaced by Ms Kenyeh Ballay.
Mrs Melrose Karminty is the new Minister of Social Welfare, while civil society activist and head of the West African Network for Peacebuilding (WANEP), Dr Ista Mahoi, is Minister of Gender and Children’s Affairs, replacing Manty Tarawalli, who was named Minister of State at the Office of the Vice President in the first list of appointees announced last week.
Dr Denis Sandy, the man with nine lives, who once caused a lot of stir as Minister of Lands, bounces back as Minister of Works and Public Assets, replacing Peter Bayuku Conteh.
Augusta James Teima is the new Minister of Sports, replacing Ibrahim Nyelenkeh. And Jiwoh Abdulai is the new Minister of Environment and Climate Change, replacing Prof. Foday Jaward.
A few ministerial positions got new portfolios added or reduced from them, among these are Public Administration, which is an addition to the formerly dormant Political and Public Affairs Ministry. It is headed by Amara Kallon, who replaces Foday Yumkella.
Notable appointees for positions of Deputy Minister include former Press Secretary at the Office of the President, Yusuf Keketoma Sandi, who is now Deputy Minister of Information and Civic Education.
Ophthalmologist, Dr Jalikatu Mustapha, takes up political appointment as Deputy Minister of Health Health 2, while Haja Isata Abdulai Kamara is moved from the Trade and Industry docket to Fisheries and Marine Resources.
Other key appointments made by President Bio on Saturday include Alpha Kan as Presidential Spokesman, a position he held since last July, Solomon Jamiru, former deputy Minister of Information and Communication, is now Presidential Press Secretary. Former Defence Minister, Brig (rtd) Kellie Conteh, is now National Security Adviser.
Dr Kandeh Yumkella was appointed as Chairman of the newly created Presidential Initiative for Climate Change, Renewable Energy and Food Security, while Umaru B. Wurie, who was among nine presidential advisers sacked last week, bounces back as Resident Northwest Region.
President Bio in a tweet urged the new appointees to see their appointments as a national call to service.
“The task ahead deserves every sense of duty and responsibility,” he twitted.
