Germany opens doors to Ghana for insights on governance of state enterprises

The Minister for Public Enterprises, Joseph Cudjoe, has embarked on a study tour of public enterprises in the Federal Republic of Germany.

The Minister was accompanied by Mr. John Boadu, Director-General of the State Interests and Governance Authority (SIGA); Dr. Mohammed Abdulai Sani, Programme Director of Public Financial Management for Service Delivery; and five technical staff from SIGA and the Public Enterprises Secretariat.

The purpose of the study tour was to examine effective models of public entities oversight and governance, with the goal of adapting these models to the Ghanaian context. Germany was selected due to its exemplary oversight, diversification, and management of the sector.

The study tour is part of the Public Financial Management for Service Delivery (PFM4SD), a five-year World Bank programme aimed at ensuring transparency and accountability in the Public Enterprises (SoEs) sector.

The objectives of the study tour were to gain firsthand knowledge and experience of the German model for public enterprises supervision and oversight, understand local challenges and resolution mechanisms related to public enterprises, interact with selected public enterprises to forge partnerships and understand critical issues, and gather significant information on the German model for customizing or replicating performance solutions relevant to Ghana.

Heiko Thomas, State Secretary for the Ministry of Finance, Germany, welcomed the Minister and his team, describing Ghana as a vital partner country. He promised to provide necessary information to ensure the team’s success.

Joseph Cudjoe stated that Ghana seeks to leverage its 175 public enterprises to improve the economy. “We aim to learn from your system and structures, including mistakes, to avoid and improve,” he added.

The Minister, also Member of Parliament for Effia Constituency, expressed Ghana’s willingness to facilitate Germany’s entry into Africa through the Africa Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), headquartered in Accra.

The delegation joined counterparts from Namibia and began the study tour in Hamburg, visiting the City of Hamburg Decentralised Asset Management, Hamburg Airport Company, companies under HGV Management, and Hamburg Port Company.

In Berlin, they visited Die Autobahn GmbH, responsible for the construction and maintenance of all roads in Germany, and Bundesdruckerei, the Federal Printing Office, which prints passports, money, and identity cards. They also met with officials from the Federal Ministries of Finance, Digital and Transport, and Economic Affairs and Climate Action.

Earlier this year, the team visited Singapore to explore its public enterprise model and identify best practices for Ghana.

Source:onuaonline.com