Pres Ali begins 2nd term with Permanent Secretaries’ shake-up at 4 Ministries

…more key appointments to come

As part of efforts to streamline his new administration, the newly re-elected President of Guyana, Dr Irfaan Ali, has announced the appointment of several new Permanent Secretaries (PS) to serve within various Ministries. These appointments are Sharon Roopchand-Edwards, who is the new PS at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Roger Rogers, PS at the Ministry of Tourism, Industry and Commerce; Duan Ellis, PS at the Ministry of Agriculture; and Dr Erica Forte, the new PS at the Ministry of Human Services and Social Security.

In a brief statement from his office, it was noted that these appointments were made as part of the first phase of the transition in President Ali’s second term in office. The Guyanese leader was sworn–in last weekend after being re-elected at the recently–held September 1 General and Regional Elections. On Friday, the Head of State met with PSs and Deputy PSs to share his Government’s vision and set clear expectations for their roles in advancing national development. President Ali emphasised that his administration will move swiftly to modernise the delivery of Government services through a fully digitised framework, with a strong focus on customer service, efficiency, transparency and results-driven performance. He further underscored that this transformation must remain people-centred, with reliability, efficiency, and timely delivery as the guiding principles. Two of the newly announced PSs previously held similar positions in the last Government. Sharon Roopchand-Edwards had served as PS at the Tourism, Industry and Commerce Ministry, while Duan Ellis served as PS at the Human Services and Social Security Ministry. On the other hand, Dr Erica Forte is a former Regional Health Officer in Region Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara), while Roger Rogers, an economist and former University of Guyana (UG) lecturer, previously worked at the Local Government and Regional Development Ministry.
Meanwhile, President Ali has noted, according to the missive, that additional announcements regarding PSs and other senior Government officials will be made in the coming days, this includes naming his new Cabinet.
During his Address to the Nation at last Saturday’s inauguration ceremony, President Ali had said, “In the coming days, I shall announce my new Cabinet – men and women chosen for their competence, their character and their fidelity to the people of Guyana.

I will also announce a wide range of other key appointments across the public sector to ensure that the entire system is led by people committed to delivering effective service to the Guyanese people.”
In fact, the Guyanese Leader outlined the importance of building a highly efficient, service-oriented public service – one that places the citizen at the centre of every action. He committed to dismantling the bottlenecks that frustrate citizens, cut away the red tape that slows delivery and modernise the systems that too often stand in the way of progress. “We will refashion a public service that delivers more online services, works for the people, responds with urgency and executes with excellence. Because only then can the promise of development be fully realised,” he noted. In the same breath, however, the Head of State stressed that corruption undermines the efficiency, fairness and credibility of public service hence he details plans to strengthen anti-corruption efforts by establishing a dedicated Anti-Corruption Unit. This unit will be tasked with excising this cancer from institutions and holding public officials to the highest standards of integrity.
“Every official will be required to account for their personal assets, and anyone who cannot do so will face the full force of the law. We will pursue both the corrupted and the corrupters, leaving no room for impunity,” President Ali cautioned.
While there has been no official confirmation of the new Peoples Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Cabinet, the party’s General Secretary (GS) Dr Bharrat Jagdeo had previously hinted at possible reshuffling to ensure better efficiency.
Jagdeo, who has been sworn in to once again serve as Vice President (VP), had told this newspaper during a press conference back in July that there is no guarantee that any member of the previous Cabinet would return. He had said that, for the new Cabinet, the Ministers would be selected based on performance and skills including people skills.