Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos ratified the trade and justice ministers of his cabinet and announced the appointment of a new minister for transport Tuesday.
Santos announced the ratification of Sergio Diaz-Granados as Trade Minister and Dr Ruth Stella and Justice Minister and made the new appointment of Cecilia Alvarez-Correa as Minister of Transport.
After the entire government’s cabinet unexpectedly resigned last week at the request of the head of state, Santos has been reorganizing the cabinet to prepare for his next two years of presidency.
In his closing speech at the National Congress of Hospitality in the coastal city of Cartagena Tuesday, Santos praised the work that the official Diaz-Granados has developed over the last two years and confirmed that he would continue in the same position of his cabinet.
“So as to not lose the good work of tourism that he has done up until now […] I want to inform him here in his guild, Doctor Diaz-Granados, that he is confirmed as Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Tourism,” said the Colombian president.
The same day in the city of Bello, just north of Medellin, the president designated Cecilia Alvarez-Correa as Minister of Transport.
Alvarez-Correa currently serves as the director of the Adaptation Fund which finances projects and programs to help developing countries adapt to the negative effects of climate change. She is an industrial engineer and specialized in Private Finances as well as served as the Council Minister of the presidency.
Santos described Alvarez-Correa’s management of the Adaptation Fund as extraordinary, highlighting the work she did for houses and families damaged by rain in Bello.
“This angel is going to be our next Minister of Transport. We hope that she will continue being able to help the country from this new responsibility,” said the president.
In an announcement made during a meeting of the Constitutional Court in Baranquilla the Colombian president announced the ratification of Dr Ruth Stella as Justice Minister.
“Dr Ruth Stella has done a wonderful job in very little time and that’s why we’re excited to keep her as part of the government team,” said Santos.
Stella took the role of Justice Minister only two months ago to replace former minister Juan Carlos Esguerra’s resignation in the wake of the failed justice reform.