The Chamber of Petroleum Consumers (COPEC), has requested for quality appointment in the petroleum and other energy sector institutions, further calling for an expeditious process in the appointment process.
Speaking in an interview, Executive Secretary of COPEC, Duncan Amoah, stated that, the important part played by these institutions, particularly in the management of the sector, cannot be underestimated hence.
Coupled with the initial disbandment of the various boards and corporations, which were undertaken in accordance with the country’s presidential transition laws, Mr. Amoah revealed that the delay in the appointment will not augur well for government and consumers of fuel products due to it being a daily necessity.
“The appointing authorities should step up the process to ensure that these institutions that are currently on autopilot do not fail. Those who are going home should be made to go home; those who are coming in should be made to come. We’ve also requested for quality appointment to the energy sector institutions to ensure that, the kind of lapses we’ve seen in the past, we do not see them anymore.
“Once we wait, we would want to impress on authorities to hasten the process because people are still buying fuel. BOST will still continue to work, TOR will continue to work, Ghana Gas will continue to work, Ghana Cylinder will continue to work, but as to whether any boards are in place to oversee some of the operational issues, that remains largely at the bosom of the appointing authorities. And we would want that process hastened, so that we will get the right kind of appointments to these places”.
Earlier in January, the Chamber had petitioned government to ensure that the assignment of roles to qualified persons should be premised on requisite knowledge and expertise. Mr. Amoah had emphasized on the implication of choice of leadership on the economy of the country.
Additionally, he insisted that premised on prior precedence especially in the management of energy entities, Mr. Amoah advised that measured efforts have to be undertaken to ensure these entities are useful and lucrative.
“Your energy institutions contribute either positively or negatively to your economic life. Once you have leadership that is mindful of numbers and are willing to take economic decisions, the energy establishments are safe. If you put in leaderships that are also there to take political reign seeking decisions that only allows them to enrich a few people at the expense of the Ghanaian people; we will continue to have the kind of misalignment and problems that we have in the energy sector.
“We are hoping that the government will make it a priority to appoint performers whose only basis for an appointment is on competence. And then again, it shouldn’t become business as usual; square pegs in round holes”.
Currently, with the ongoing vetting of ministers, the duration and timeline for such appointments are not clearly mapped out as to when the list of board members of the various government agencies will be made public.
