LatinNews Daily - 29 September 2026

*Ecuador’s President Daniel Noboa has replaced his economic and productive development minister, Sariha Moya, with Bernardo Cordovez, who had previously served as head of the social security institute (IESS) since November 2025. Moya had been in the role since April 2025, when Noboa won re-election, and was regarded as one of his closest allies in government. Prior to becoming finance minister, she was national planning secretary from 2023-2025. Her influence grew in June this year with the creation of the economic and productive development ministry, which expanded her former role of economy and finance minister and subsumed the ministries of production and agriculture. In a letter confirming her departure from government, Moya did not elaborate on the reasons for her exit but praised the government’s economic record, highlighting Ecuador’s return to international capital markets after a seven-year absence which she said reflected growing investor confidence. Noboa also replaced his labour and human development minister, Cynthia Gellibert, with Diana Ramírez Villacís, with Gellibert going on to head the IESS. Ramírez’s previous roles reportedly include stints as director of planning at the agriculture and education ministries and at the IESS.