Parliament calls for merger of SOEs with similar functions

Parliament has called for the merger of State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs), which have similar functions to ensure efficiency and productivity.

The House has also advocated the retooling of state-owned enterprises to prevent them from collapsing.

The MPs made the call when the Chairman of the Committee on Employment, Social Welfare and State Enterprises, Mr Joseph Amenowode, presented the report of the committee on the operations and financial performance of state-owned enterprises on the floor.

They noted that the State Enterprises Commission was weak and unable to discharge its duties of monitoring and supervising the entities effectively.

Report

Presenting the report, Mr Amenowode said the State Enterprises Commission was inadequately staffed and had been without a board for many years.

“They lack the essential facilities to supervise,” he said, adding that their lack of ability to perform was as a result of some of those inadequacies.

The performance of most of the SOEs themselves, he said, was below expectation.

According to him, organisations such as the Assembly Press, Ghana Railway Company, Ghana National Procurement Agency and the Volta Lake Company Ltd, if not retooled, would collapse.

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The National Buffer Stock Company Ltd and the GNPA, he said, performed similar functions and needed to be merged.

Mr Amenowode said the SOEs needed to be innovative to ensure effective performance.

“Strict supervision is needed from relevant authorities to ensure that demands are carried out, and laid-back attitudes are dealt with,” he said.

Auditing

Mr Amenowode, who is also a member for Afadjato South, said the Committee observed that the audited accounts of the SOEs were delayed.

"Most of the SOEs did not have their audited accounts ready and the general excuses they have were that the Auditor-General has delayed in providing them with auditors, adding that “the Auditor-General should ensure that the SOEs are provided with auditors to audit their accounts. "