On Friday President Adama Barrow reshuffled his cabinet moving some ministers to new portfolios while appointing a few new ones. The ministries that were affected include the Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education, the Ministry for the Interior, the Ministry of Tourism and Culture, the Ministry of Information and the Ministry of Petroleum.
It is understood that appointing and redeploying minsters is done for the good of the country to ensure that all ministries and departments in the country run effectively and efficiently in order to serve the Gambian people in the best way possible.
It is also known that when any new minister, or any official for that matter, takes office he or she should be given a proper and detailed handing-over by his or her predecessor so that he or she can continue the work from where the predecessor stopped. The issue with frequent cabinet reshuffles, however, is that it can have an effect on what is referred to as institutional memory if not carefully managed.
A number of people also raised concern that at least one of the ministers who was moved to another ministry was having a cloud over his head as there were allegations of a contract being awarded in a way that was not aboveboard.
Reshuffling the cabinet and moving that minster to another ministry before the completion of the investigations into those allegations could be interpreted to mean that he is being shielded. It is better to avoid this type of move for more transparent and better governance.
Many observers, however, have lamented the fact that sometimes when a minister, or any leader for that matter, stays too long at a particular place, familiarity comes in and that has the potential of affecting the professionalism of the co-workers. A cabinet reshuffle is therefore one of the ways to ensure that efficiency and effectiveness is not compromised. It is hoped that the new ministers will deliver and engender progress in their new ministries.
The same goes for the new hands at the police, immigration department, Nawec and Office of the President. More grease to your elbows.
