President Ernest Bai Koroma has over the weekend appointed more ministers.
The new crop of ministers seem to indicate that the president has heard the call for a more inclusive government reflecting the different regions in the country.
An appointment that may surprise some people is that of Dr. Lansana Nyalley, a former top official of the Tegloma Federation, an organization that openly identified itself with the SLPP and is composed mainly of people from the south and east of the country. Nyalley, who is from the east of the country(Kailahun), is now the new deputy minister of Education.
From the south(Pujehun) comes lawyer Vandy Minah the new deputy minister of Foreign Affairs. He is the son of former APC Vice President Francis Minah.
The appointment of former APC National Publicity Secretary William Juana Smith as Resident Minister, Eastern Region came as no surprise. Like Victor Foh the APC secretary general, Will Smith has proved to be one of the most loyal and faithful south-easterners in the APC, a party anxious to gain more support in that part of the country.
The resident minister for the southern region is Musa Tarawallie.He is a political newcomer like most of the appointees.
Mohamed Koroma, a feisty and controversial journalist that was arrested a couple of times by the former SLPP government, is the deputy minister of Information and Commmunication while the little known Dr. Richard Konteh goes to the Finance ministry as deputy.
Raymond Kabia, a former executive member of the North America branch of the APC is the new deputy minister of the Interior and Martin Bash-Kamara, another strong APC-North America member goes to the Energy and Power ministry to assist Haja Afsatu Kabbah.
Other new deputy ministers are: Mabinty Daramy-Trade and Industry, Khadi Sesay-Labour,Abdul Ignosi Koroma-Mines, and Allieu Pat-Sowe, Transportation and Aviation.
New ambassadors have also been appointed. They include: Bockarie Stevens(son of former president Siaka Stevens)-USA, Dr. Christian Kargbo—EU,Osman Yansaneh(former APC secretary general)-Ghana and Dr. Abdul Karim Koroma(former Education and Foreign minister)-China.
The new minister of state in the Vice President’s office is Balogun Koroma popularly known as Logus. He is a seasoned civil servant who rose to the rank of permanent secretary before leaving for the US where he worked in the airline industry as a senior executive.
More appointments will be announced in the next couple of days.
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