State House, Banjul, 11th January 2018– Cabinet witnessed the swearing in of the new Minister of Interior, Mr Ebrima M. Mballow, Secretary General and Head of Civil Service, Mr Habib Saihou Drammeh and Secretary to the Cabinet, Ebrima S. Ceesay, today at the State House.
In these latest changes in his Cabinet make up, President Adama Barrow told the newly sworn-in officials that his government is committed to take concrete and necessary steps to build strong institutions to consolidate our democracy. He urged them to serve with professionalism, without fear or favour. President Barrow was optimistic that collective change of attitudes towards work could be positive steps to making a difference in government institutions. He called for nationalism beyond the individual interests to achieve the government’s goal in institutional and legal reforms.
He concluded that his government wants to leave a legacy of sustained institutions, laws and procedures that will transform our country into a fully fledge democracy and facilitate social, economic and political development for our people.
Interior Minister Mballow, was Governor of West Coast Region and holds a Master’s in Business Administration and Marketing Management, from Stratford College in London. He also holds a post graduate diploma in Management studies from and Kingsbridge College for Management and Technology also in London and other diplomas. He built his career in the banking sector rising from accounts clerk to manager. Mr Mballow held different managerial positions for 17 years at the Arab Gambian Islamic Bank from the 2000 to 2017 as branch, operations, divisional manager, divisional head to head of business development.
Prior to his banking career, Mr Mballow gained experience in the area of national security. He spent five years in the Gendarmerie from 1987 to 1992 and served as intelligence officer during a peace keeping mission in Liberia under ECOMOG in 1991. He took over from Mr Habib Drammeh as minister of interior, who now serves as Secretary General and Head of Civil Service.
The new Secretary to the Cabinet, has a Masters degree in Public Sector Management from Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration- GIMPA, BA in Agriculture and Gender Studies and a diploma in Gender Studies. He earned a Teaching Certificate from the Gambia College before pursuing his professional career in planning, management and evaluation, strategic and public sector management. He served as lecturer and trainer at the Management Development Institute and Coordinated the Gender and Development department in 2009. Mr Ceesay also coordinated the Commonwealth Youth Development Project and served as head of Management and Policy Analysis at the MDI before his appointment as Permanent Secretary, Office of the President in 2007.
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