The State Interests and Governance Authority (SIGA) convened its Governing Boards and CEOs’ Conference on Thursday, 10th September, bringing together board chairs, chief executives, and government officials from across Ghana’s public enterprises sector under the theme, “Creating Public Value through Leadership, Corporate Governance, and Performance Excellence.”
The conference opened with remarks from Madam Millicent Atuguba, General Manager, Operations at SIGA, who reminded participants of the gathering’s core purpose: strengthening governance and performance across the public enterprises sector.
Mr. Eric Bonsu Agyabeng, Head of SIGA’s Performance, Monitoring & Evaluation Division, presented key findings from the 2025 State Ownership Report, offering an honest assessment of where the country’s Specified Entities currently stand. While acknowledging notable progress, he cautioned that significant work remains before the sector can be considered fully “out of the woods.”
SIGA’s Director-General, Prof. Michael Kpessa-Whyte, reinforced this message in his remarks, underscoring the conference theme and emphasising both the importance of sound corporate governance and the government’s commitment to accountability and value creation.
The conference’s centrepiece was the keynote address delivered by President His Excellency John Dramani Mahama, who set a decisive tone for the discussions that followed. The President was unequivocal: public ownership must translate into public value, and persistent losses will no longer be absorbed into the national budget. He commended some entities for demonstrating various degrees of turnaround, while stressing that such gains must be sustained rather than treated as one-off achievements.
In perhaps the most pointed segment of his address, President Mahama spoke directly to board members and chief executives, reminding them that board membership is not a ceremonial role and that the office of CEO is not a personal privilege. He drew a clear distinction between governance and management, with boards responsible for governance and CEOs responsible for management. He also warned that conflicts of interest and abuse of office would not be tolerated.
The conference proceeded with two panel discussions that added depth to the issues raised in the State Ownership Report. The finance and governance panels brought forward candid perspectives on the challenges facing the sector, as well as practical solutions from industry leaders. The discussions were interactive and distilled into key insights and concrete commitments, ensuring that the spirit of the conference would extend beyond the event itself.
The conference concluded with remarks from Nana Oye Bampoe Addo, Deputy Chief of Staff in charge of Administration, who called on public sector leaders and executives to uphold high ethical standards and remain committed to delivering results in the public interest.