Accra, Ghana, January 31, 2020//-Ghana’s former President John Dramani Mahama has observed that most state-owned enterprises (SEOs) are on the verge of collapse under the watch of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.
According to him, the Akufo-Addo government has disregarded them after claiming that it is implementing One District, One Factory progamme.
Mr Mahama who is also the flagbearer of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), made this known in another Facebook live session where he addressed Ghanaians across the country.
For instance he cited Produce Buying Company Limited (PBC) and Bulk Oil Storage and Transportation Company Limited (BOST) which are in sorry state.
Mr Mahama noted that these SOEs were in their prime during his tenure, are now facing collapse under the current government.
In his words: “In our time PBC was the largest buyer of cocoa. They had a fleet of trucks but today, PBC is a sorry state of itself. And it is not only PBC but most state-owned companies that were handed over to this government but they are in a very sorry state”.
“BOST was highly indebted when we took over but BOST bounced back and paid off its debt, restructured itself and started exporting petroleum products to Niger and Burkina Faso from the Bolgatanga depot.”
BOST was depositing $6 million every fortnight to Bank of Ghana from petroleum sales to neighbouring countries, according to Mr Mahama.
“Today, that is not the case. If you go to the Bolgatanga depot there is no truck there, they are not loading anymore,” he said.
Plans to revamp struggling BOST
However, Mr Mahama was hopeful that these almost extinct companies could be revamped if the NDC comes back to power in 2021.
“But PBC can be resuscitated if we have dedicated leadership and if the government encourages it and works to protect state enterprises.
Unfortunately, that is not the case, I mean this government doesn’t seem interested in state enterprises and I can understand because they are a conservative government. And they believe in private ownership of everything. They do not believe that the state should be involved in anything,” Mr Mahama stressed.
Funfair distribution of ambulances
Touching on the recent distribution of 307 ambulances by the government, he criticized the government funfair distributing of ambulances without the corresponding resourcing of health facilities in the country.
He noted that the ambulances may not be able to serve their purpose because most of the country’s hospitals and clinics are not capable of handling emergency cases.
“All the hospitals that were being built to improve healthcare have been brought to a standstill and instead, they are glorifying in the distribution of ambulances. Where do ambulances take sick people to?” he Mr Mahama asked.
Also he pointed out that, the government’s failure to complete abandoned health facilities in the country was a clear indication that the distribution of the ambulances was a “complete loss of prioritisation”.
He added: “So the priority [should be] to finish the hospitals so that if an accident happens and you pick the patient, then you have a good facility to send them to.
[All the major hospitals] we started have come to a standstill and yet we are distributing ambulances. So you pick the person and you take them to the hospital and they say there is no bed and accident victims are treated on plastic chairs. I mean there is a complete loss of prioritisation.”
African Eye Report
