We’ll make sure we get positive outcome — VRA board

Members of the board of the Volta River Authority (VRA) have pledged their readiness to help the government achieve its dream of restructuring the authority.

The Board Chairman, Mr Kweku Andoh Awotwi, told journalists after its inauguration: “We are supporting the government to get its work done. We will make sure we get a positive outcome.”

Touching on the government’s plans to restructure the VRA, Mr Awotwi, who is a former Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the VRA, said moves to restructure the VRA had been on the drawing board for many years and stressed that the board was prepared to help the management of the authority to implement the restructuring plan.

There were plans to restructure the operations of the VRA but workers were up in arms, claiming the government was planning to sell off some assets of the authority, he added.

The other members of the eight-member board are Mr Emmanuel Antwi-Darkwa, Mr Richard Obeng Okrah, Dr Joyce Rosalind Aryee, Nana Kobina Nketsia V, Mr El-Farouk Umar, Mr Musah Badimsugru Adam and Mrs Janet Anane.

The Deputy Director of Legal at the Ministry of Energy, Mrs Anita Lokko, led the board members to swear the oath of secrecy.

Energy Minister

In a speech read on his behalf, the Minister of Energy, Mr Boakye Agyarko, said the government had instituted various initiatives, strategies and mechanisms to resolve issues confronting the energy sector.

He said the Cabinet had approved a blueprint for the restructuring of the VRA and said some processes had begun in that regard.

“The board is expected to address and carry out the government’s policy directive on VRA’s restructuring and ensure that it is inclusive, consultative and does not pose a potential disruption to the operations of the power sector,” he said.

He added that the board was to ensure the early re-organisation of the VRA into a holding company as a matter of priority.

Mr Agyarko expressed the hope that the board members would use their collective experiences and knowledge to get all stakeholders on board.

He said the reorganisation should be feasible and practicable to convert all the non-power businesses of the VRA to viable commercial ventures, so that they did not become a drain on the operations of the authority.

“I am confident that this will be achieved during your tenure, considering the enormous talent available and the expertise of the board, management and staff,” he noted.

The minister urged the management and staff of the VRA to be open-minded to assist the board and the government to make the VRA relevant to meet the challenges posed by Ghana’s status as a lower middle-income country ready to face the 21st century and beyond.

He further urged the board to provide the required leadership to enable the VRA to maintain its reputation as one of the best generating facilities in the sub-region.

Mr Asamoah-Boateng

In a brief address, the Executive Chairman of the State Enterprises Commission (SEC), Mr Stephen Asamoah-Boateng, conceded that state-owned enterprises (SOEs) had image issues which needed to be addressed urgently.

“We need to turn the economy around through SOEs,” he said, and added that board members were currently receiving training on how to be efficient for the good of the country.