The ongoing inauguration of new boards for state institutions and appointment of board members, have been greeted with mixed reactions from party insiders of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP), Human Resources, as well as corporate governance experts,raising concerns that the President is on the path of failure regarding the quality of persons he is appointing as board chairs and members.
Complaints are that, majority of individuals the President, Nana Akufo-Addo,has appointed, have no technical expertise or knowledge about the very institutions they have been appointed to.
The General Secretary of the governing NPP, John Boadu, has also just been made a board member of the Ghana Oil Limited (GOIL) although he and others have left the Tema Oil Refinery (TOR) to its knees.
The selections on the boards, are seen more as sharing the spoils of war; jobs for the boys and not value for money, considering the fat sums many collect as sitting allowance.
The appointments, they argued, were not done on merit, but partisan patronage, a situation which could spell doom for the second term of the President with respect to leaving a legacy upon his exit.
References have been made to the selection of board chairmen of institutions such as the Ghana Airports Company Limited (GACL) which is being chaired by a broadcaster, Paul Adom-Otchere, who has virtually no knowledge in the aviation industry or held any serious managerial role before, aside praise-singing the Akufo-Addo administration.
Paul was on the National Communication Authority (NCA) board, that Authority, is now nothing to write home about.
Allowances of staff, have not been paid for some time now and most workers are disenchanted in both management and the board, and leaving the institution in high numbers of staff.
Again, the choice of Farouk AliuMahama, the Member of Parliament (MP) for Yendi Constituency as Board Chairman of the Ghana Integrated Iron and Steel Corporation, was cited.
MrMahama, just like his counterpart Board Chairman, Paul Adom-Otchere, has no known experience for such high position. His last appointment before he became an MP, was serving as a deputy manager at Ghana Cocoa Board.
The selection of Assin Central MP, Kennedy Ohene Agyapong, as board chair of the Ghana National Gas Company, has also been questioned. Many wonder what, the man who talks more than he acts, is bringing onboard to transform the institution.
Also queried is the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC) board, chaired by the National Chairman of the New Patriotic Party, Freddie Blay, who has been reappointed as board chair.
The board, is made up of two chiefs; Ogyeahohoo Yaw Gyebi II, the Paramount Chief of Sefwi Anhwiaso Traditional Area, who doubles as the President of the National House of Chiefs, the Paramount Chief of the Savelugu Traditional Area, Na BakpengYooNaaAbdulaiAndani, a broadcaster; Yaw Kwakye of Kennedy Agyapong’s Oman FM and others, who have no knowledge about the workings of the industry.
In the case of GNPC, MrBlay is mentioned as being a lameduck Board Chairman as Mr Kofi Koduah Sarpong, the CEO, calls the shots for the board to obey.
There are claims the GNPC board, only signs documents without delving into them,hence the many procurement infractions among other things bordering on conflict of interest.
Many believe that, with the appointment of Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) of these institutions already done on partisan lines, the expectations are that the board positions, should have people with expertise and technical knowledge of the institution they are being sent to.
Already, Ministerial appointments are mainly politicians who were selected based on their friendship and family ties with the President, as well as the quantum of votes they garnered during the last election.
Indeed, the arguments around is that, no significant achievements would be made by President Akufo-Addo in his second term, which is currently underway.
The Herald has gathered that, even within the NPP, many are not comfortable about the way things are going regarding the appointments processes.
They believe there are more suitable persons within the party, who should been given the nod to advance the vision of the President and his government.
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