Akufo-Addo urged to call GNPC board chair to order over turf war

A member of the Parliamentary Select Committee on Mines and Energy, Edward Bawa, has called on President Nana Akufo-Addo to call the Board Chairman of the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC), Freddie Blay, to order over the turf war between him and the Chief Executive Officer, Dr. K. K. Sarpong. The Member of Parliament for Bongo Constituency in the Upper East Region said the Board Chairman has assumed the role of the CEO, which is creating confusion between them and the company. The hiring of a Procurement Manager at GNPC appears to be causing a misunderstanding between the Corporation’s CEO and its Board Chairman, Freddie Blay, who is also the National Chairman of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP). A directive issued by the Board Chair for the manager to be employed seems to have angered the CEO, Dr K.K. Sarpong, who has questioned why the order was given in his absence and without his consent. In a leaked letter sighted by 3news.com, Mr Blay is chastised for overstepping his bounds by ordering the Chief Finance Officer to recruit a Procurement Manager. “GNPC’s operative organogram gives direct supervision of the procurement function to the General Manager (Administration) who reports, however, to the Chief Finance Officer. Having oversight of the procurement function does not make the Chief Finance Officer the appointing authority under the rules and regulations of GNPC. I wish to reiterate that the responsibility for hiring personnel lies within the purview of the Chief Executive and not the Chief Finance Officer. I have already advised Mrs. Comfort Aniagyei, Chief Finance Officer that she has no mandate to recruit personnel, notwithstanding your directive unless I expressly instruct her to do so,” Dr Sarpong said. Commenting on the development on Onua FM’s Yen Sempa hosted by Bright Kwasi Asempa on Monday, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) MP explained that “it is sad for the nation because the role of the board is to give general policy strategy and policy direction. The CEO’s responsibilities are to hire and implement the decision of the board, then report to the board”. “That is the role that they are supposed to play but the board chairman seems to be interested in playing the role of the CEO instead of the Board chair,” he explained. Mr. Bawa noted that the friction between the CEO and the Board Chairman is a result of the roles the Chairman wants to assume for himself “and that is what is creating the problem and the president must call the board chairman to order”. The MP added that “they are fighting over procurement and procurement has been the cause of corruption and that is what is creating the problem”. “Anywhere there is a fight in a government institution, it’s because of procurement and we need to get independent investigations into the issue because the board chair is interfering in the management of GNPC. Procurement has always been the source of corruption in Ghana whether is the procurement of goods or services.” he revealed. The former Communications Director of the Energy Ministry said “if you look at the duties of CEO, they are essentially responsible for hiring so it is the greed that is breeding the confusion and the president must tell the board chairman to back off”. By Kweku Antwi-Otoo|3news.com|Ghana]]>