Nedco moves to Hinds' Youth Ministry

The notice of appointments and assignments of government ministers has officially been gazetted – one month after the August 10 general election and 22 days since the Cabinet was sworn in. Most of the statutory agencies and boards remain as they were among their respective line ministries.

There have been some critical changes, though. The biggest reassignment appears to be the National Entrepreneurship Development Co Ltd’s (Nedco) reassignment to the newly created Ministry of Youth Development and National Service, under minister Fitzgerald Hinds, from the Ministry of Labour. Newly created National Marine Maintenance Services Co Ltd, formerly CL Marine Ltd – part of CL Financial’s assets – has been added as a wholly-owned enterprise under the Ministry of Finance.

As expected, bodies like the National Carnival Commission, cultural organisations and the Carnival Institute have been consolidated under the newly merged Ministry of Tourism, Culture and the Arts. Communications Ministry, state boards and enterprises have also been absorbed into the portfolio of the Office of the Prime Minister.

This includes freedom of information monitoring, centralised government communication and rationalisation of government-owned media, along with state television station TTT. The Prime Minister has already announced that neophyte Minister in the Office of the Prime Minister Symon de Nobriga will handle the communications portfolio.

Appointments for ministers in various ministries were also confirmed, but their specific duties within these respective ministries will be “to assist (the relevant minister) in the performance of such duties specified by the minister from time to time with immediate effect.”