A former CEO of the Volta River Authority (VRA) Dr. Charles Wereko-Brobby has said Tony Oteng Gyasi’s resignation as board chair of the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG)is a “big blow to Ghana.”
Oteng Gyasi who doubles as the Managing Director of Tropical Cables and Conductors Limited tendered in his resignation letter this week but the President is yet to respond to his letter.
Citi News sources reveal that Mr. Gyasi cited health reasons in his resignation letter, but some insiders suggest there could be more to his resignation than meets the eye.
Reacting to the news on the Citi Breakfast Show on Friday, Dr. Wireko-Brobby, popularly known as ‘Tarzan” said it is a “real shame” for him to resign at a point when the nation is in the middle of a power crisis.
[contextly_sidebar id=”mdGqPtQiZ17LEVgK1RpJaZZAExNGU1QY”]Dr. Wereko-Brobby described him as an “accomplished man in his own right.”
He recalled that Oteng Gyasi was the “first man to build a cable facility to ISO standard in sub-Saharan African so it’s not a mean achievement or a mean person that you are dealing with.”
The former VRA boss said the appointment of Oteng Gyasi as chairman of the University of Ghana by the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and as chairman of the ECG by the National Democratic Congress (NDC) “shows that the caliber of the man is good.”
He added that he is unsure about the reasons which informed Oteng Gyasi’s decision but was quick to add that individuals who are appointed for their competence and their know-how, somehow face challenges because “we fail to listen to what they say.”
The world bank in a June 2013 report titled ‘Energizing Economic growth in Ghana, criticized the previous ECG board, noting that an organization of the size of ECG should have a ‘first rate board.’
The report further noted that ECG’s cash flow difficulties are “even worse than the profit and loss accounts would indicate beacuse of poor revenue collection and rising dollar denominated payment obligations.”
It however noted that majority of the factors responsible for ECG’s poor financial condition are within its control.
Mr. Oteng Gyasi’s appointment at the time was seen a remedy to the World Bank’s criticisms over the quality of human resource at the helm of affairs at ECG,which is a key institution in Ghana’s energy sector.
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By: Efua Idan Osam/citifmonline.com/Ghana
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