Kudos to STC

‘Distressed’, ‘cash strapped’, ‘ailing’ and ‘limping’ were some of the opening descriptive narratives of the State Transport Company (STC) some few months ago.

Indeed, some people wrote off the company as an important state asset worthy of preservation for any serious investment.

But the narratives have changed; the story is good; the template is being formed and the state transporter is gradually claiming its market share and redeeming its lost glory.

Early this week, STC, under the leadership of the former Communications Director of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Nana Akomea, presented $700,000 to the government as the first tranche payment for the 50 buses that the government bought for the company in October last year.

The managing director, at the presentation, was confident that the STC was poised to pay a further $1 million to the government in March 2018.

He said the payment was made possible because of the revamping of the company’s operational strategy, saying: “The STC is poised to dramatically improve revenue and meet all its obligations to the government and other creditors.”

The 50 buses were bought at a cost of $16 million and Nana Akomea said the STC was committed to defraying all the cost within the repayment period agreed with the government.

The STC, which was formerly a vibrant state-owned public transport company, went down for years because of poor management and lack of capital injection.

By this sterling performance, the management has demonstrated that leadership is not by rank but responsibility. It is the lifting of a loss-making company into a profitable one.

The Daily Graphic notes the effort of the management and workers at increasing the STC’s value beyond its normal limitations. The leadership sets strict principles of conduct and responsibility, high standards of performance and respect for the individual and his/her work.

We are encouraged by the management style of the company and the desire to turn a loss-making company into a profitable one.

The Daily Graphic calls on other executive managers of state organisations to emulate the STC example, rise to the mantle and be counted among the few who can turn even hopeless organisations into hopeful ones.

Yes, we will celebrate them when we see them and write their names in the books of history with gold for others to emulate.

We are watching with keen interest how the managers of other state organisations will take up the challenge. We will name and shame those who accept to take up the challenge to manage state assets and run them down and will not accept any explanation for non-performance.

STC has shown that it can be done and so we expect others to follow this example to excel.

While we commend the managers and employees for a good job done so far, we urge them not to rest on their laurels but demonstrate to all that with determination, right attitude and commitment, it is possible to achieve a task no matter how daunting it would be.