Kwame Agyeman-Budu, Managing Director, ECG
There have been calls by some staff of ECG purporting to have the consent and concurrence of the senior and junior divisions of the staff calling for the dismissal of the managing director, Kwame Agyeman-Budu. We wish to state that, there is no such consensus and that only a small fraction of the staff with ulterior motives are demanding the removal of the MD.
I work at ECG and I am very much concerned about the way things are going in our company. The move by the Union is uncalled for. They are just being manipulated to disgrace the Managing Director for no apparent reason. It is just a few people in the company who want their selfish way.
I wish to respond to the purported resolution of the junior and senior staff issued with the caption:
Resolution of junior and senior staff unions following their National Executive Committee [NEC] meeting on Friday, 9th April 2021 at the ECG Training school seriatim.
1. They assert that the MD’s lack of vision has led to the unavailability of critical materials such as meters, service cables conductors, prepaid vending accessories. A simple search at the Accra West Office thus the project office and that of the Tema office would show that there are these critical materials available. There are lots of the materials mentioned above available and are being used daily to meet the demand for new meters (please find attached photos of meters and transformers).
Through the instrumentally of the MD, the service vendors have increased astronomically. Since his assumption of duty, he has introduced a policy aimed at ensuring that, request for meters by new customers are met in that he has directed that at least a meter should be fixed each day. The desire to work as vendor is for more than previously.
A bit of context is necessary on the issue of the construction of a staff Canteen at Asokwa District, Roman Ridge, and the construction of a new District office at Cape Coast. I see the concern raised here is laughable. How can you accuse the MD of wrongdoing for building a canteen for staff and not himself? The procurement processes for these facilities were advanced before the appointment of Kwame Agyeman-Budu as Managing Director. As a matter of fact, he came to meet the documents on his table pending approval of which he graciously approved. The canteen is being put into good use as staff no longer have to walk miles to get food and likewise staff no longer eat in their various offices which do not auger well for customers and the staff alike.
2. They assert in resolution 2 that, MD outsourced or is promoting the outsourcing of revenue collection to third parties when ECG staff could do that. The facts do not support this assertion in that the subject matter of outsourcing the STL collection as advance payment of bill is only a proposal that has been put forward by a company just like any other proposal from private companies to ECG. The Governing Board, GB has not even sat on it less of approving it.
3. They assert that the MD sidestepped the recommendations of an Evaluation Committee to award contracts to some six companies. Here again, a bit of context is necessary, The MD and for that matter, every other head in the public service has a ceiling thus threshold within which he/she is allowed by law to approve. Under the circumstance, the contract sum exceeded that of the threshold of the MD and hence the approval of the Governing Board was needed. How can you turn around to blame the MD for sidestepping the recommendations of the committee?
The Committee ought to have known that the amount involved was beyond the approving capacity of the MD. As a matter of law thus nemo dat quaod non habet, the Committee has no authority in the first place to be constituted less of proffering recommendations. In any event, granted that the Committee had the authority, we all do know that recommendations are not binding on a person in authority to accept them hook, line and sinker. It is within his right and with proper judgment to vary, modify or change completely the Recommendations. There could be different facts that have come up which were not known or were not available at the time of the Evaluation.
4. They assert that, the MD has no regard for structures and that he could transfer staff without recourse to their supervisors. Before the MD transferred the said officers, he had an Intel on them, and investigations were conducted on them. Where the MD sits, he receives information or complains about the staff that the supervisors may not be aware of. All transfers and even recruitments are done with the knowledge and consent of the Managing Director and so where lies the argument that the MD transfers workers without recourse to their supervisors when the supervisors are equally under the supervision of the MD.
I dare say that, in the corporate sector, it is normal to see MD’s CEO’s go hard at workers when targets are not being achieved or instructions are not followed. The MD may sometimes call and direct officers to solve customers’ problems and related issues. This does not amount to threats whatsoever in any way.
There are no merits in the allegations raised but only aimed at tarnishing the good image of the MD only to have their preferred person appointed so that they can have their way.
5. Mr. President, Minister of Energy, we entreat you to hasten slowly and to speak to the staff and also peruse the documents particularly the revenue collection and the so-called procurement breaches. You would come to the conclusion as we have seen, that, the MD is an innovative leader, and hardworking Director worthy of turning the fortunes of ECG around. The MD has done many good things which we have to talk about. He has been able to put the company in the right footing financially even during the difficult financial times in the COVID pandemic. There was never a month during the pandemic that we did not get paid or even delayed.
6. Other achievements of the MD include;
a. Electric Vehicle charging system (in partnership with POBAD International)
b. Debt reduction programme to improve revenue collection from private and Government institutions. This feet is remarkable
c. Implementing energy recovery programme process to improve system loss recovery by 1% annually, which runs into millions of Ghana cedis.
d. The MD has negotiated and renegotiated for the reduction of materials and other items for project works and supplies, saving the company a significant GHS 20929641.26 million. This is verifiable from the Ministry of Energy and the State Interest and Governance Authority formerly known as State Enterprises.
e. ECG Web Portal that provides ease of managing customers’ accounts online in the comfort of their homes and offices.
f. ECG Call Center- Digitization and upgrade of the Call Center for personalized experience with Customers
g. Bulk SMS-broadcasts and WhatsApp business contact that provides quick two-way communication with customers on power situations in their areas
h. Meter Management System and Meter Control System- this provides a network system which enables customers to purchase electricity or pay for their bills anywhere in the country.
i. As part of the Social Corporate Responsibility, he constructed an ultra-modern Pantag Covid-19 Treatment and Isolation Center in Accra with the following;
o 65 modern hospital beds in fully-air-conditioned self-contained rooms
o Laundry, kitchen, pantry and allied utilities
o State-of-the-art biomedical equipment
o Two(2) distribution transformers for power supply to the center
o Fibre-optic connectivity for high-speed internet, and
o Free internet service to the center.