Yaw Osafo-Maafo
The Senior Minister, Yaw Osafo-Maafo, has expressed resentment against attempts by some chairmen of the boards to undermine the authority of chief executive officers (CEOs) and managing directors of state-run institutions.
He said this when he inaugurated the newly constituted Board of Directors of the Microfinance and Small Loans Centre (MASLOC) on behalf of President Akufo-Addo at the Jubilee House in Accra yesterday.
In his remarks after administering the oaths of secrecy and office, he indicated “we have had serious problems… sometimes the President gets worried about problems between the board and management.”
Instead, he noted that “board of any institution is responsible for providing policy direction for the institution; board should not be involved in the day-to-day management of the institution.”
He insisted that “if you are a board member of Cocoa Board or SSNIT or any of these state institutions, you really have nothing to do with the day-to-day running of the institution.”
He explained “you (in virtual reference to the board) are responsible for formulating policies and ensuring that management puts to use; that is where your beef is; but as to who benefits from what pesewa or what cedi is not your job.”
The Senior Minister does not take that as interference.
Rather, he indicated “what I see wrong is a chairman taking an office on the same floor with the MD and literally giving instructions as to who should be put on…that is not what we want.”
It was for this reason he said “I want harmony between the board and management; it does well for the growth of the institution.”
In congratulating the newly constituted board, he charged them to consider their appointment as a call to duty and asked them to help improve the performance of MASLOC which was initiated by the previous NPP administration led by former President John Agyekum Kufuor.
“We all have a responsibility to take our great nation to greater heights and I dare say your role is important”, he stressed.
On his part, chairman of the newly constituted board of MASLOC, Seth Adjei Baah and former Member of Parliament for Nkawkaw, famously known as Shaaba, thanked the President for the opportunity given him and his colleagues to bring their various experiences to bear on the activities and operations of the scheme.
He thus promised to give their best efforts in achieving the set goals and vision to make MASLOC the hub of business development under his government.
By Charles Takyi-Boadu