Source document: https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/1698833097301.pdf (Sierra Leone)
1 HOUSE OF PARLIAMENT OAU DRIVE, TOWER HILL FREETOWN E-mail: sierraleoneparliament@hotmail.com FIRST SESSION OF THE SIXTH PARLIAMENT OF THE SECOND REPUBLIC OF SIERRA LEONE THE FIRST REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE ON APPOINTMENTS AND THE PUBLIC SERVICE ON PARLIAMENTARY VETTING OF PRESIDENTIAL NOMINATIONS -2023 i.
INTRODUCTION Mr. Speaker, Honourable Members, the Committee on Appointments and the Public Service, cognizant of its constitutional responsibility of vetting and approving of appropriately qualified candidates for appointment to Ministerial positions, met on Friday 21st July 2023 and interviewed fifteen Presidential nominees for appointment as Ministers: ii.

PROCEDURE The Committee conducted the hearing within its set framework of procedures.
The nominees were interviewed on issues pertaining to their educational backgrounds to ensure that they have the relevant education and necessary backup experience to effectively man the Ministries to which they were appointed.

Further probing questions put to the nominees covered wide ranging issues relating to their track records in the Public service and other pertinent work situations, declared assets, tax obligations and their visions for a nationally productive tenure.
Issues of unsuitability or otherwise were also closely looked into.

2 iii.

FIRST SITTING OF THE COMMITTEE ON FRIDAY 21ST JULY 2023 The following Presidential nominees were interviewed on oath: 1.

Mr. Sheku Fantamadi Bangura-Proposed Minister of Finance Mr. Sheku Fantamadi Bangura is currently serving as a proposed Minister of Finance after his last approval by the Fourth Session of the Fifth Parliament.
He has over twenty-five years’ experience serving as economic and policy expert advisor at the World Bank and the West Africa Monetary Institute.

He is one of the principal advisers to His Excellency ,the President and the Government of Sierra Leone on financial and economic policies.

He holds a double Master Degrees in Public Policy (Finance Management-2012-2014 AU, Washington DC,USA) on one hand and the other in Economic policy management from the McGill University Montreal,Canada.
Responding to the Committee on the increasing inflationary trajectory and wage bills, the seasoned economist said “inspite of the oddities, the country’s economy is still resilient to accommodate the wage bills.

Measures are on track for a reversal of the double digits inflation”.
He attributed it to global economic shocks that have far reaching consequences on import driven countries like Sierra Leone He entreated Members that less dependence on donor funding for budgetary support would be enhanced by new policies that will capitalize on the prudent exploitation of our natural resources through, but not limited to looking into Section 37 of the Banking Act of 2019 to allow companies implementing huge capital projects to have access to funds from within the country rather than operating offshore accounts.
The Minister was praised for living up to expectation especially during the severe economic shocks of the Russia-Ukraine war.

2.

Alhaji Kanja I Sesay – Proposed Minister of Energy 3 Alhaji Kanja I Sesay is a Professional Development Specialist with over twenty-five years of work experience in developing countries including Sierra Leone.
He once headed and successfully managed the post-war National Commission for Social Action, (NaCSa) where he managed multi-donor funds transitioning the nation from relief to sustainable development.

Since his recommendation and ratification by the first report of the Fifth Parliament, Alhaji Kanja Sesay’s performance in the energy sector has been commendable pushing energy from 16% Capital City power accessibility to almost 85% both rural and provincial headquarters.
Responding to questions on the current status of electricity, he said, after five years of his stewardship, over 100 towns and communities now have access to electricity.
With regards to Government’s Manifesto big 5 objectives, he said, the energy sector was integral in ensuring improvement in agriculture to “Feed Salone” by collaborating with the ministry of agriculture for mechanized farming, irrigation and preservation of agricultural products to realize the agro gains expectation of His Excellency to reduce budget cost on importation of rice in particular.

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The Minister agreed that rural mini grids electrification was progressing but had some registered challenges.
He promised that his office would engage providers to reverse this trend.

3.
Dr. Austin Hingha Demby- Proposed Minister, Ministry of Health Mr. Speaker, Honourable Members, Dr. Austin Demby is a Research Scientist, Epidemiologist and Molecular virologist and holds a Master of Public Health in Biostatistics and Epidemiology (University of Michigan, USA, 1985) and a PHD in Clinical Microbiology from the University of London,1998).Prior to his nomination, this internationally revered scientist, was the Acting Director for the Office of Global Health Resources and Services Administration(HRSA) in the United States Department of Health, bureau that protects the health of Americans through global actions.
He manifests a plethora of wide experience in conceptualizing, designing and implementing complex and effective national programs to combat any ravaging health situations including viral hemorrhagic fever viruses, AIDS/HIV, etc.

His long services with the Centre for Diseases Control (CDC) gave him the platform to fully understand 4 emerging African health problems; the reason he was very instrumental in the fight against the Ebola and Covid 19 Pandemic in Sierra Leone.
Mr. Speaker, Honourable Members, the Committee on Appointments and the Public Service still reaffirms the outstanding virtues of this nominee as were adjudged during the twelfth sitting and forwarded in the Tenth Report to plenary of the Fifth Parliament in February,2021.
Responding to his reappointment visions and pervasive perennial problems in the Ministry, the learned Doctor said ‘Given the state of acute shortage of medical professional personnel in the country, Sierra Leone needs 5,000 medical doctors.

At the moment, the country only has 500 out of which 350 of are in clinical practice whilst 150 are in administrative work.
To address such appalling situation, the ministry has engaged the College of Medicine and Allied Health Sciences (COMAHS) and there has now been an increase in medical students’ admission from 50 to 300 per annum.
He concluded that his vision of undertaking all these structural health sector reforms is to construct five regional hospitals linked with training facilities that would each service at least 1,000 patients a day in a bid to reduce the burden of accessibility to quality health care currently experienced.

4.
4.

Mr. Timothy M. Kabba – Proposed Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Mr. Speaker, Honourable Members, on the 29th July 2020 the Committee on Appointment and the Public Service adjudged Mr. Timothy M, Kabba during his approval for the Mines Ministry as a versatile, performance-driven and goal- oriented professional with a strong background in petroleum engineering, leadership, management and strategy.
His proven successes as Minister of Mines and Mineral Resources especially but not limited to the formulation of Mineral, geo- data and artisanal mining policies that fed into the review of the Mines and Minerals Act 2011; Enacted the Mines and Minerals Development Act 2022 and negotiated large scale mining lease agreements that introduced increased investment in communities including a 1% community development fund in favour of mining chiefdoms and districts and many more speak volume and further reaffirm his recommendation.
5 Responding to his current appointment as Minister of Foreign Affairs, and upholding diplomatic ties with other nations, the multilingual prowess Minister said “Article 41:1 of the Vienna Convention states that “It is the duty of the one receiving immunities and privileges to respect the laws of the receiving state.

It is also their duty not to interfere in the internal affairs of that state.
I will therefore ensure that countries respect this and will follow the dictates of the convention to institute penalties on any foreign diplomat that contravenes this provision” He promised to work very hard in order not to misrepresent the young people 5 Mrs. Princess Betty Dugba- Proposed Minister of Fisheries and Marine Resources Mrs. Princess Betty Dugba is a health administrator with vast experience in health and hospital management.
Her key strength and skill is setting goals and objectives, managing budget and developing strategies to optimize hospital operations were clearly demonstrated as a deputy Minister of Health in charge of all issues involving government and the faith based hospitals delivering health care services.
Responding as Minister designate, to the coastal waters violation by unregistered foreign vessels depriving the nation of revenue and constant fish stock supplies to market, the soft spoken professional said “I am aware of some of these herculean challenges and I will treat them as utmost priority.

It requires the collective efforts of major players including the security forces and I shall immediately engage them to chat a way forward.
Protecting our territorial waters from exploitation is very key to improving the economy and to this I shall commit myself “she ended.

6 Dr. Sao–Kpato Hannah Max- Kyne : Proposed Minister of Water Resources and Sanitation Mr. Speaker, Hon.

Members, Dr. Sao Kpato Hannah Max–Kyne is a renowned academic of no mean standing, a career development specialist with extensive productive tenure in both the Non-Governmental Organizations and Governmental Development Agencies.
She is on record as one contributor to academic growth as a seasoned Lecturer of Public Policy, Sociology and Development at varying levels in our Universities.

In the Fifth Parliament, the Appointment Committee 6 adjudged her suited for Commissioner of NaCSA owing to the desirable qualities of proven academic and analytical skills in developmental issues and her timely prolific outputs observed for over years as a deputy.
The Committee acknowledges with no scintilla of doubt that she could move on track with the numerous projects and plans left behind by the outgoing Minister of Water Resources.

In her response to the Committee’s inquiries on knowledge required and vision to run such Ministry, the expert said most of her developmental works had been on water and Sanitation (WASH) and had coordinated such programs both at home and abroad.
Whilst she couldn’t disregard that water availability and accessibility were still serious problems in the country, she promised to work on effective plans with government and partners to ameliorate constraints through sustained and permanent initiatives/projects for both urban and rural water needs.

7 Ambassador Adekunle Joliff Milton King - Proposed Minister of Western Region Mr. Speaker, Hon.
Members, Mr. Adekunle Milton King is seasoned Lawyer with a Master’s degree in Petroleum law and policy from the Centre for Energy, Petroleum and Mineral Law and Policy, University of Dundee, Scotland.

He was first appointed Minister of Labour and Social Security (April 2018 to November 2019).
Until his recent appointment to serve as Minister of Western Region, he was ambassador to the republic of Ethiopia where he served as Chair of the Permanent Representative, subcommittee on refugees, returnees and internally displaced persons.
Responding to Members about his role as Minister designate, he said, the western area office routine operations is designed to interface with executive branches in the capital to address emerging regional administrative issues and to interface and report to state house and other relevant authorities.

He promised to build and expand on the rural- urban governance collaborative models outlined by his predecessor.

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8.

Mr. Alpha Ibrahim Sesay –Proposed Minister of Trade and Industry Mr. Ibrahim Sesay is project fiduciary management specialist for both the World Bank and the Ministry of Finance.

He is presently, serving as Team Lead –Project Fiduciary Management Unit responsible to oversee and coordinate financial management, procurement, monitoring and evaluation and Internal Audit functions of all World Bank 7 projects in the Country.
Mr. Sesay was vividly reminded by the Committee regarding the sustained increase in the general commodity price level and how this impacted on the people.

He acknowledged the non-dimensional price levels, some of which he attributed to external factors beyond government control.

He however promised to take drastic measures through collaboration with security forces to regularize certain anomalies such as smuggling of our local food stuffs to other countries.
9 Mr. Jiwoh Emmanuel Abdulai: Proposed Minister of the Environment and Climate Change Mr. Jiwoh Emmanuel Abdulai is a macroeconomic policy and international financial market analyst with significant experience working with public and private sector entities in Sierra Leone.

He graduated in 2004 with a Master’s degree in Econometrics and Mathematical Economics from the London School of Economics and Political Science.

In 1997, he got his Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science from the University of Texas.
He has a plethora of quantitative data management skills which he would apply spatially to interpret and forecast the complex issues on global climatic change effects Mr. Abdulai promised to build on the gains of his predecessor and to collaborate with experts both within and outside the Ministry to address global commitments to Climate Change and implement at national level, the environmental Acts.

10 Major General (Rtd.)
David Tamba Ocil Taluva: Proposed Minister, Ministry of Internal Affairs Mr. Speake Honourable Members the nominee is a retired Military professional that rose through the ranks in the Republic of Sierra Leone Armed Forces notably from platoon commander to Deputy Chief of Defence Staff and possesses several certificates and battle honors to his credit, Responding to his appointment to a supervising Ministry over vital institutions like the Police, Correctional Centres, Fire Force, the soft spoken commander said in a firm voice that maintaining public order within the law is a must for any state and government that cares for its people.
“I see the internal Affairs Ministry providing such leverage and guidance for peace” 11 Mrs. Melrose A. Karminty: Proposed Minister of Local Government and Community Affairs 8 Mrs. Melrose Karminty has been part of the governance structure since 2018 to date.

In her capacity as deputy minister of works and public assets from 2018 to 2019, she contributed immensely to ensuring that the president’s aspiration on infrastructural development was on track.
She was later transferred to the ministry of Local Government and Community development where she served diligently until her reappointment Mr. Speaker, Honourable Members, the Committee reaffirms the quality attributes of this nominee as were appropriately reported to this House in the Fifth Parliament.

Answering questions on what she would be taking to the Ministry of Social Welfare, the nominee succinctly put “the Ministry is a cross cutting one that has many players.
So I will bring everyone on board to support the government’s vision through teamwork.” She concluded that though she would institute reforms in future but may not likely interfere with the Hajj Committee that is scoring remarkable gains.

12 Mr. Amara Kallon – Minister of Public Administration and Political Affairs Mr. Amara Kallon is a Rural Development Professional with vast knowledge in Monitoring and Evaluation.
His competences in the use of evaluation techniques like Randomized Control research methodology, Web-based M&E system e.t.c.

made him an integral part of the SCP-GAFSP project as Monitoring and Evaluation Officer at the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Food Security from 2016 to June 2018.

He was later appointed to serve as deputy Minister of Political and Public Affairs in 2018 where he served with utmost diligence.
His recent elevation to Minister of Public Administration and Political Affairs is a testament to his outstanding contribution to this ministry while serving as deputy minister.

He holds a Master of Science in Rural Development from Njala University.
On his new role as Minister of Public Administration and Political Affairs, he acknowledged the enormity of his task but as a young man with experience in Public Sector management and with support from his colleague ministers, he is determined to make a difference to the governance sector of the state.

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13.

Ambassador Bundu Wurie, Resident Minister, North West Ambassador Wurie is a retired Civil Servant and seasoned diplomat that represented the Republic of Sierra Leone as High Commissioner to Nigeria (1989-1993).

He is a Commissioner of Oath, a lifetime appointment of distinction.

His humane and political 9 prowess in dealing with the grass roots supporters have helped the Ambassador catapulted from Special Adviser to Minister, and this the Committee recognized as evidence of hard work.
On his role in the North West, the Ambassador promised to collaborate with local authorities and indigenes to work for nation building.
4 RECOMMENDATIONS Mr. Speaker, Honorable Members, the Committee adjudged the following Presidential nominees for Ministerial appointments to be suitably qualified for their proposed appointments and they are therefore recommended to the House for approval: Mr. Speaker, Honorable Members, the Committee adjudged the following Presidential nominees for Ministerial appointments to be suitably qualified for their proposed appointments and they are therefore accordingly recommended to the House for approval: I. Mr.Sheku Ahmed Fantamadi Bangura- Minister of Finance II.
Mrs Princess Dugba ,Minister of Fisheries and Marine Resources Sao- Kpato Hannah Isatta Max-Kyne- Minister of Water Resources and Sanitation III.

Major General Rtd David Taluva- Minister of Internal Affairs IV.

Mr. Alpha Ibrahim Sesay- Minister of Trade V. Dr. Austin Hingha Demby -Minister of Health VI.

Alhaji Kanja I .Sesay- Minister of Energy VII.

Mr.Jiwoh Abdulai-Minister of Energy and Climate VIII.

Ambassador Umaru Bum Wurie –Resident Minister North West IX.
Mr. Amara Kallon – Minister of Public Administration and Political Affairs X. Mrs Melrose Karminty – Minister of Social Welfare XI.

Ambassador Adenkule King-Minister, Western Region.

Mr. Speaker, Honourable Members, this First Report is the unanimous decision of the Committee.

I therefore move that the First Report of the First Session of the Committee on Appointments and the Public Service be adopted by the House and that the recommendations contained therein be approved.

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