Dr Manteaw calls for depoliticisation of state enterprises in the energy sector
Dr Steve Manteaw
Dr Steve Manteaw, co-chair of the Ghana Extractive Industry Transparency Initiative (GHEITI), has urged for a reduction in government influence over state enterprises in the energy sector.
Read full articleHis comments follow the renaming of the AMERI Power Plant to Kumasi 1 Thermal Power Plant by President Akufo-Addo, a move criticised by the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC).
In an interview on Joy FM’s Top Story, Dr Manteaw emphasised the need to separate politics from the operations of state-owned entities like the Volta River Authority (VRA), which solely funded the relocation and construction of the power infrastructure.
He cautioned against politicians taking undue credit for the work of technocratic institutions, stressing that such politicisation could lead to the collapse of these enterprises.
“You have politicians taking credit for the work done by a company. If it is not the politicisation of these institutions, what else could that be? VRA was set up to do these kinds of things and they are doing it. So why should politicians be dancing around and making fanfare of it? I don't understand it,” Dr Manteaw said.
Drawing parallels with the GCB Bank, Dr Manteaw highlighted the detrimental effects of political interference on state-owned institutions, citing the need to privatise GCB Bank to salvage it from collapse. He warned that similar politicisation issues plague other state enterprises like the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC), leading to low morale among workers.
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