Graphic, 3 others to benefit from SIGA capacity building
The State Interest and Governance Authority (SIGA) has disclosed plans to provide technical assistance to four state-owned enterprises (SOEs) to help them deliver on their mandate.
They are the Graphic Communications Group Limited (GCGL), the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD), the Ghana Post Company Limited and the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority.
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The support is through the Ghana SOEs Oversight, Reforms and Governance (GHASORG) project which is being implemented by SIGA.
Through the support, SIGA will focus on enhancing the corporate governance of the institutions by building the capacity of their staff to help them achieve their mission.
This was made known during a meeting between some officials of SIGA and the management of the GCGL in Accra last Wednesday.
Meeting
The meeting formed part of a five-day working visit to Ghana by the Project Manager for France-based GHASORG from the Expertise France, Ms Paola Brienza.
The working tour is to afford Ms Brienze the opportunity to meet the prospective beneficiaries, discuss possible projects and opportunities for collaboration.
The meeting with the GCGL was mainly to discuss the needed support within its areas of operation.
Present at the meeting were the GHASORG Project Manager for Expertise France Ms Paola Brienza; Project Coordinator for GHASORG, Dr Saikou A. Diallo; Senior Procurement and Finance Manager at GHASORG, Mr Ibrahim Maltiti Aziz, and other officials from SIGA and Expertise France.
Representing the GCGL were its Managing Director (MD), Mr Ato Afful; the Director of Finance, Mr Samuel Essel, and the Editor of the Daily Graphic, Mr Kobby Asmah and Director Marketing, Mr Franklin Sowa.
The GHASORG project
GHASORG is a €5-million project which is being financed by Agence Française de Développement (AFD).
The project aims at contributing to the effective implementation of new mechanisms to promote good corporate governance by SOEs.
It is being implemented by SIGA.
Funding for the 36-month project includes a €1.5-million component by Expertise France, which is purposely for technical assistance.
Challenges
Mr Afful took the SIGA delegation through the history of the GCGL, its administrative structure and how appointments to various management roles were made.
He indicated that the company was not a subvented entity like other state-owned media houses.
The MD explained that unlike other SOEs, the GCGL had never received any capital injection from the state, aside from the initial capitalisation that was done during its acquisition.
Due to that, he said, the company was left to generate its own resources.
“SIGA’s mandate is to make state institutions profitable and I believe that with that level of support and collaboration that you are bringing to all of us, we can tap into the opportunities in the market,” Mr Afful said.
Making information accessible
Mr Asmah pointed out that access to information was very critical in helping the GCGL to meet its mandate.
He explained that the company was a very responsible media institution, for which reason it needed quick responses to information to help it publish balanced stories.
Any delay in getting such information, he said, had an adverse impact on its production.
“We don’t want the paper to come out inaccurate; it should be truthful and so we want access to information to make things easier for us,” he said.
Support
Dr Diallo said under the project, they would work with some management entities to develop a trail of management training for state enterprises.
He said there were other SOEs which had been earmarked for the project, and in that regard they would do prioritisation to ensure that the project was executed within the given budget.