Following the announcement of the June 24 Presidential results, President Julius Maada Bio of Sierra Leone has implemented changes in his cabinet, resulting in the exclusion of some prominent ministers. On July 10, 2023, a list of newly appointed ministers and key positions circulated, generating controversy in the social media sphere.
Notably absent from the new list were Prof. David Francis, former Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Jacob Jusu Saffa, former Chief Minister, and Prof. Alpha T. Wurie, former Minister of Technical and Higher Education. Furthermore, several ministerial switches occurred, with Timothy Kabba being replaced as the Minister of Mines and Mineral Resources by the new appointee for the Foreign Affairs Ministry, Prof. Francis.
A surprising appointment, according to some analysts, was Umaru Napoleon Koroma, who assumed the position of Deputy Minister of Mines and Mineral Resources. Koroma previously served as the Deputy Minister of Justice in President Bio's previous administration and currently holds the position of National Secretary General of the ruling Sierra Leone People's Party.
Dr Haja Ramatulai Wurie replaced Prof. Wurie as the new Minister of Technical and Higher Education. Moving forward, analysts anticipate that President Bio will continue along a similar trajectory in appointing his remaining ministers. Notably, the President has yet to announce the cabinet members for the Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Energy, Ministry of Water Resources, Ministry of Information and Communication, among others.
President Bio also made changes to key government institutions, including the appointment of Brima Swarray as the new Director-General of the National Revenue Authority, replacing Dr. Samuel Gibao.