The General Secretary of the Public Utility Workers Union (PUWU), Michael Adumatta Nyantakyi, has admonished government to desist from interfering in the affairs of the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) to enable the company become more efficient and profitable.
He said it is within the ability of the country to manage the company and make it work without giving it out on concession to a private company.
He said the American Compact agreement is a support, and should not be allowed to push the country to go into some arrangements which would ultimately not inure to the benefit of the generality of Ghanaians.
Mr. Nyantakyi said “so far looking at the items under the concession arrangement, it is only the private foreign investor who would smile to the market at the detriment of the average Ghanaian who would suffer serious high tariffs and challenges that may come with the privatization of the company”
Mr. Nyantakyi said this on the sidelines of a National Divisional Executives meeting in Tema.
The National Executive meeting brought together junior and senior staff throughout the country, to discuss issues regarding the company, as well as the ECG concession which has been top on the agenda of the workers.
He said “though the compact could be beneficial, government must take a second look at the proposal for the private sector participation and tweak it in a manner that ECG would be able to operate efficiently and profitably for the benefit of Ghana and Ghanaians.”
Mr. Nyantakyi said ECG is a vital national asset whose problems could be easily resolved if government stops interfering, and allows it to work efficiently as an independent business entity.
“We believe ECG is a vital national asset, and the problems facing the company are such that it can be easily resolved if the necessary political support and interference is cut out, and the company is allowed to operate efficiently as any independent corporate entity,” he said.
He said it is within the ability of Ghana and Ghanaians to turn ECG around, and make it more viable, adding that it is unfortunate that after 60 years of independence, government cannot take up an entity such as the Electricity Company of Ghana, and manage it fully.
“Government cannot say that after 60 years of independence, it cannot manage a company such as the Electricity Company of Ghana and make it operate efficiently.”
Mr. Nyantakyi said although the union is not entirely against the American concession, government must critically look through the compact, and must not be coerced in taking a decision which will not inure to the good of Ghanaians.
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By: Elvis Washington/citifmonline.com/Ghana