By: Abraham Donkor
Public Boards in Ghana and Chief Executives of State Owned Institutions have had their capacities built on Public Corporate Governance.
The session, which was the first in the series, was aimed at sharpening the expertise of members of Public Boards and Councils on their roles, responsibilities and ethics of the public service.
Chairman of the Council of State, Nana Otuo Siriboe noted that effective Corporate Governance would be meaningless, unless it is backed by strategic action.
He argued that more often than not Public Governing Boards and Councils and their Managements side step ethics such as accountability, rules among others, and rather engage in trivial power play and unorthodox practices that bring institutions into disrepute.
Nana Otuo Siriboe made the observation at the workshop for the Public Boards and Chief Executives in Accra, advocating a paradigm shift to reverse the trend.
The Chairman of the Council of State who is also the Omanhene of Juaben in Ashanti, Nana Otuo Siriboe said negative practices such as antagonism between stakeholders mostly cover trivial issues and must cease.
“The nation has come a long way therefore such practices must not find expression in Corporate Governance’’, he posited.
Chairperson of the Public Service Commission, Dr. Janet Ampadu Fofie noted that the workshop is vital in whipping Members of such Boards and Councils in line with respect to maintaining good Corporate Governance, which is a key component in administration.
She said the participants would be exposed to the rudiments of their role and responsibilities as well as the ethics of governing in Public Service.
Dr. Fofie added that facilitators from the Public Procurement Authority, International Audit Agency, Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice, CHRAJ among others, would be sensitized on new laws and governance principles.
The Chief of Staff at the Presidency, Madam Akosua Frema Osei-Opare in a message presented by Dr. Mokowa Blay Adu-Gyamfi underscored the need for such programmes saying, Covid-19 has brought in its wake many weaknesses in Public Service.
“This requires innovation to repair. It also provided opportunities to unearth creativity. Ethics such as integrity, rule of law, transparency and accountability must not be compromised in the Public Service’’.
