President John Mahama has urged public sector workers to take a stand against mismanagement in state enterprises and report them.
The President expressed his concern about the declining fortunes of many state enterprises across the country.
Speaking at the 2025 National May Parade held at the Blackstar Square in Accra, President Mahama said many state-owned enterprises had been atrociously managed over the last eight years by the previous government.
“I urge you not to keep quiet when management is driving your enterprise into ruin. You are always the first to be affected by job losses when these institutions collapse,” the President said.
He added: “Your enterprise, where you work belongs to you, they guarantee you lifelong employment and so you must protect those enterprises. When things are going wrong, do not be afraid to say so. And as President, I will back and support you to set things right.”
The President said during a conference organised by the State Interests and Governance Authority (SIGA) for Chief Executives of state enterprises held on March 13, they were given the debt positions of state-owned enterprises, and almost all of them were in debt.
“Even companies like GIHOC Distilleries, where when I was President, they used to pay a little dividend to the government. Today they also owe. The question I ask is, how can you sell alcohol and be in debt? When Ghanaians are happy, we drink alcohol. When we are sad, we drink,” he said.
President Mahama stated further: “When we are not happy, we are not sad, we drink. So how can you sell alcohol and lose? And so, we are charging the management of state-owned enterprises and the workers, let us work together to make sure that we make these institutions viable. Because those institutions belong to all of us.”
The President reminded public sector workers that there were a million more of working age, who desire to join the workforce, but they were hindered due to the lack of openings and opportunities.
He said they had long been aware that the youth bulge possesses a significant risk to the stability as a nation and that it was for this reason why, in the last few weeks, he had launched various flagship job creation interventions that were aimed at offering the nation’s teeming unemployed youth avenues for sustainable employment.
President Mahama said the Ghanaian worker wants a government that would walk its talk, a government that would stand by them through hardship and prosperity alike.
Adding that he was there to assure the workers that the government under his leadership was that government they had been waiting for.
He said as part of the Constitution review process, attention would be paid to the establishment of a Permanent Independent Emoluments Commission that would determine a fair and equitable public service wage structure, so that they could bridge the unacceptable gap between the conditions of service of Article 71 office holders and other sections of workers within the public sector.
GNA