SLPP—NGC Alliance

Dr. Kandeh K. Yumkella

Chairman Presidential Initiative For Climate Change, Renewable Energy & Food Security

President Julius Maada Bio announced a second set of cabinet posts.

Dr. Kandeh Kolleh Yumkella (KKY) was appointed Chairman of the Presidential Initiative For Climate Change, Renewable Energy & Food Security.

Dr. Kandeh Kolleh Yumkella, until recently, was the Director General of UNIDO – United Nations International Development Organisation; presidential candidate in 2018 and leader of the National Grand Coalition (NGC) Party; Member of Parliament representing Kambia district during the fifth session of Parliament.

Regarded by many in Sierra Leone as one of the few principled politicians left in the country, Yumkella admitted months ago in a press conference that he was in talks with the SLPP to form an alliance with his National Grand Coalition (NGC) Party.

This decision by Kandeh Yumkella to enter into alliance discussions with the Bio, SLPP, was seen as a betrayal and a sell-out and did not go well with the rank-and-file of the National Grand Coalition as he was mocked ruthlessly by its members, with some in the executive resigning in protest. They view the Bio-SLPP as corrupt. However, Yumkella insisted he did it in the interest of Sierra Leone. He [Yumkella] believes that an alliance between the SLPP and his party, the National Grand Coalition (NGC), would help to unite the country and bring about change.

Ultimately: the decision to enter into an alliance discussion with the SLPP was a strategic one for Yumkella though there are both; risks and rewards associated with this decision.

Dr. Yumkella —Chairman Presidential Initiative For Climate Change, Renewable Energy & Food Security.

Cabinet Ministers | Deputy Ministers | and Other appointments

Some of Bio’s old guards have retained their ministerial portfolio, including Dr. Austin Dembi, who stays at the Ministry of Health with responsibility for sanitation removed from his portfolio.

Tamba Lamina stays at the Ministry of Local Government and Community Affairs, while Mohamed Orman Bangura remains at the Ministry of Youths.

Kanja Sesay stays as Minister of Energy, and Dr. Turad Senesie continues as Minister of Lands and Country Planning.

Former Minister of Information and Communication Mohamed Rahman Swaray was sent to head the Ministry of Employment, Labour, and Social Security, replacing Alpha Timbo was sacked from the government. And former Press Secretary at the Office of the President — Yusuf Keketoma Sandi, now Deputy Minister of Information and Civic Education.

Minister of Tourism and Cultural Affairs, Dr. Memunatu Pratt, was sacked after failing to improve the country’s tourism industry. Replace by Nabeela F. Tunis. Adekunle King, formerly a Labour Minister, replaced Nabeela Tunis as Minister of Western Area with strategic responsibility for the development of Freetown.

Dr. Denis Sandy, sacked by President Bio in his first administration as a Minister of Lands, has made a comeback, now the new Minister of Works and Public Assets.

Kandeh Yumkella is expected to play a crucial role in the newly Bio-led government. 

About Dr. Kandeh Kolleh Yumkella

Dr. Kandeh Yumkella was an expert in development economics and agricultural economics. He had over 25 years of international experience and worked in various high-level policy positions in the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) and the United Nations (UN).

In UNIDO, he served as Director-General for two four-year terms (2005-2013). He was the first from Sub-Saharan Africa to have been appointed to the position. In this role, he led the organization's work promoting industrial development and technological innovation in developing countries.

He was also the founding Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Sustainable Energy for All (SE4All) initiative, launched by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in 2011. SE4All aims to ensure universal access to modern energy services by 2030.

Dr. Yumkella's expertise in development economics and agricultural economics made him a valuable asset to the UN. He was able to help the organization develop and implement policies that would promote economic growth and sustainable development in developing countries.

Some of his specific areas of expertise:

• Private sector development

• Public-private sector dialogue and partnerships

• Small and medium enterprises (SMEs)

• Support systems

• Capacity-building in industry and business associations

• Trade capacity-building

• Agro-industry and rural development

• High-level policy dialogue and consensus-building

He was also a member of the UN Secretary-General's High-level Advisory Group on Energy and Climate Change. He brought a renewed and vital focus to global energy issues and; led the coordination of the United Nations' response to renewable energy transformation.

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Updated: July 20, 2023; 11:36 pm, EST

With the cost and affordability questions being raised by concerned citizens, over the number of appointees, President Bio of the SLPP government has appointed additional cabinet ministerial positions—at a time when the country's economy is in its worst shape. These appointments brought the number of ministers, deputy ministers, and other appointees over the last weeks to surpass eighty (80) for his final term in office, as allowed by the constitution. 

additional cabinet ministerial positions