Accra, Ghana, July 6, 2018//-Events such as this is bound to happen if appointments are made to positions not purely based on what the appointees can bring on board but based on the fact that, he or she belongs to a particular camp.
It is now not uncommon to see governments retaliating in so many ways, and one manifestation is the dissolution of the Ghana Cylinder Manufacturing Company Limited Board.
In the heat of the impasse between the Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Cylinder Manufacturing Company (GCMC), Frances Essiam and the board of the company, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has ordered the dissolution of the board.
According to a statement signed by the Minister of Energy, Boakye Agyarko, noted among other things that the dissolution should be done in accordance with the provisions of the “company’s regulations.”
This comes weeks after the Chief Executive Officer of GCMC, Frances Essiam, was suspended by six of the nine members of the board, over claims that she had mismanaged the company, and also awarded some contracts without the approval of the board or the Energy Ministry.
Prior to the suspension, the board queried Madam Essiam over the allegations of mismanagement.
Madam Essiam, who prevented the board members from holding a meeting at the company’s premises before her suspension, eventually defied the suspension, and returned to work with the support of the workers, insisting that she remained the CEO.
As we speak, Madam Essiam is still at post despite incessant pressure from civil society organisations to let her go.
From the above, we live in a country full of nepotism and the rule of law and best practices are thrown to the gutter.
In Ghana , anytime there is a problem concerning boards, the only remedy is to completely dissolve the board and put in place a new one. Anytime a new government comes to power, the practice in Ghana is to remove all former government a appointees, to the extent that, even those who are genuinely in employment through interview and selection, even are removed.
It not a good thing to dissolve a board completely since the incoming board is bound to make the same mistakes.
In board establishment, accountability must be put in place to deal with the one who is not doing what right. But to throw a whole board away, without leaving a single sole to take the incoming members through the memory lane is too bad for us as a country.
Total dissolution of a board is not a solution to the problem, but we should make sure as a country, favouritisms that characterize appointment to positions in this country is do away with, so that any time appointments are made, we have the country at heart, and appoint those who can deliver.
This is also an indication that, the President has too much power. Even from my lay point of view, as in many countries like USA, the president has less power and much of it is in the hands of the judiciary.
We need to follow the rule of law and the best practices around the world so that, we prevent some of these things. We now live in a country when the president or anybody closes to the president sees you in his dream, then you are dead. You are fired!
Let us encourage the young ones with professionals inclinations to serve on our boards. And outright dissolution of a board should be condemned.
This can only happen at extreme cases, where all the members are guilty of something, and no one cannot be exonerated.
I think just as we file Article of Incorporation to form a company , we should as a country introduce Article of Dissolution to notify Ghanaians about why you are dissolving a board.
Either than that, when it happens any show, due diligence is not followed, more problems are invited. It is rather unfortunate to behave this way as a country over 60 years.
More corporate scandals, and dishonesty is the end result if we want to go this way. We cannot fulfill campaign promises this way.
Sacking others and bringing in others is no innovative way of creating jobs. We want people who can deliver, and appointments must be made through genuine intentions. We are all Ghanaians after all.
To dissolve a board, call a meeting, file the motion, notify relevant agencies, accounts must be prepared and books are closed, then we open a new chapter. Let us begin somewhere and we must be bold in the right direction.
By Francis Gamli – Dovene, Facilitator University of Cape Coast UCC)-CoDE & UEW IDeL
