THE atmosphere came alive at State House on Saturday as President Dr. Irfaan Ali swore in 25 ministers– a vibrant team stitched together to continue taking Guyana forward.

The ceremony was a moment of national pride, attended by Prime Minister, Brigadier (Ret’d) Mark Phillips and Vice-President Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo, alongside diplomats, military officials, former officials, and proud families.

Several new ministers joined the administration, underscoring a fresh group which integrates technical knowledge into governance and introduces young, vibrant voices into national decision-making.

First-time Ministers include: Keoma Griffith, who will be the Minister of Labour and Manpower Planning; Sarah Browne, now heading the Ministry of Amerindian Affairs; Vanessa Benn, assuming leadership of the Ministry within the Ministry of Housing and Madanlall Ramraj, who is now the Minister within the Ministry of Public Works.

Vickash Ramkissoon is also now the Minister within the Ministry of Agriculture, Zulfikar Ally is now the Minister of Public Service, Government Efficiency and Implementation and Steven Jacobs is now the Minister within the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport.

Also, the government has created new portfolios to sharpen governance and create targeted focus on critical sectors and to head these are Deodat Indar, who will be the Minister of Public Utilities and Aviation, heading the Public Service, Government Efficiency and Implementation will be Zulfikar Ally.

Several senior ministers have taken on fresh responsibilities.

Among them are former Education Minister, Priya Manickchand, who is now Minister of Local Government and Regional Development;  former Amerindian Affairs Minister Pauline Sukhai, who is now Minister in the Ministry of Local Government and previous Tourism Minister Oneidge Waldron will take over as Home Affairs Minister.

Sonia Parag now leads the Education Ministry and Susan Rodrigues has been reassigned to the Ministry of Tourism, Industry and Commerce.

EXPERIENCED RETAINED

At the same time, some of the People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C)’s most seasoned ministers will continue their long-standing roles.

Mohabir Anil Nandlall will continue to serve as Legal Affairs Minister and Attorney General, Ashni Singh will continue as Senior Minister with responsibility for Finance in the Office of the President while Hugh Todd will continue to serve as Foreign Affairs Minister.

Meanwhile, Gail Teixeira continues her role as Minister of Parliamentary Affairs and Governance, Zulfikar Mustapha as Agriculture Minister, Dr Frank Anthony as Health Minister, Juan Edghill as Public Works Minister and Kwame McCoy as Minister in the Office of the Prime Minister.

In the line-up are also: Charles Ramson as Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport, Vickram Bharrat as Minister of Natural Resources, Colin Croal as Minister of Housing and Vindhya Persaud as Minister of Human Services and Social Security

The cabinet appointments followed Monday’s swearing ceremony of Vice President Dr Bharrat Jagdeo and Prime Minister Brigadier (Ret’d) Mark Phillips, who President Ali had positioned as capable leaders.

With a mix of experienced policymakers and new, fresh faces, the new PPP/C administration is setting the stage for its next phase of governance, balancing continuity with renewal as Guyana pursues its development priorities, as President Ali has put it.