The Government of Belize (GOB) today announced that it went outside the public service to find someone to fill the pivotal post of Chief Executive Officer (CEO) in the Ministry of Natural Resources and Agriculture.
That person, according to GOB’s press release, is slated to be Sharon Ramclam, who has been hired to oversee operations for the Department of Lands & Surveys, the Hydrology, Mining, Policy Coordination and Planning Unit, and the Solid Waste Management Authority.
Ramclam is described as a natural resource professional with more than 16 years’ experience in natural resources management, and brings both private and public sector management experience to the Ministry.
Ramclam has served as a board member for the Meso-American Reef Fund and the Belize Debt-for-Nature Swap Oversight Committee, and was previously the executive director of the Protected Areas Conservation Trust (PACT) and former general manager of the Belize Natural Energy (BNE) Charitable Trust.
She replaced outgoing Natural Resources and Agriculture CEO, Jose Alpuche, who sent in his resignation three months ago, in December of 2013, after he was appointed CEO in the Ministry of Agriculture in 2012 right after the UDP won their second consecutive term.
Two weeks before Alpuche drafted his resignation letter, former CEO in the Ministry of Natural Resources, Beverly Castillo, resigned to pursue a political career in the Belize Rural Central constituency in late November of 2013.
Late last month, there were allegations of terminations, suspensions and resignations of well-connected senior public officers in the Lands Department including the Deputy Commissioner of Lands, Nestor Hernandez; the Deputy Registrar of Lands, Barony Hernandez; and National Estate Officer, Darleen Padron, which left the Ministry in quite a stir.
Unconfirmed reports also indicate that three cashiers, two females and one male – including one who was reportedly transferred from the Immigration Department – were placed on two weeks suspension after the sum of $5,000 went missing from the ministry’s night deposit at FirstCaribbean International Bank.
The Ministry of Natural Resources, which was described as “a hot bed of corruption” by Prime Minister Dean Barrow, was reportedly subjected to a recent investigation which was carried out by the Audit Department and many shocking discoveries were allegedly made; however, we have not been able to ascertain whether the entire investigation has been completed.