Dr Ashni Singh sworn-in as Senior Minister responsible for Finance

His Excellency, Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali, today, swore-in Dr. Ashni Kumar Singh as Senior Minister with responsibility for Finance within the Office of the President (OP).

Dr. Singh took the Oath of Office during a simple ceremony held in the Credentials Room at OP.

President Ali said his new Minister brings with him values and experience garnered over his decades in the public service.

“Dr. [Ashni] Singh will be part of the team, under the umbrella of the Office of the President, which will oversee the transformative agenda of the Government, which includes projects and policies that will stimulate, expand and widen our economic base, while at the same time strengthening existing sectors,” President Ali said.

Dr Ali said his Office will continue to have oversight of Finance; however, Dr Singh’s role will advance the Government’s agenda. The country is on the road of transformation, which requires a “multifaced team” the President said.

“I believe that in every aspect of the Government, at the level of Cabinet, Permanent Secretaries, we have been able to match youth, experience, and dynamism in a very special way, to ensure that we build capacity needed to manage the fortunes of the future,” the Head of State said.

Dr. Singh, who has spent most of his professional life in public service, said he is thrilled to be back in Cabinet and service to the Guyanese people.

“I am entering office at a time when the Guyanese and the global economy are facing tremendous challenges, not least as a result of the global pandemic. President Ali’s Government has been very swift to recognise the magnitude of these challenges and has been very swift in crafting policy responses, but we are far from out of the woods. There is still a lot of work to be done. I am under no illusion of the magnitude of the challenges that are before us from the point of economic policy making and management,” he told journalists in an interview after the ceremony.

Dr. Singh served as Finance Minister under the Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo and Donald Ramotar administrations from 2006 to 2015. He holds a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Accounting and Finance from the University of Lancaster, London, United Kingdom.

He will be sitting in the 12^th Parliament as a non-elected Minister, as provided for in the Constitution of Guyana.