Panic-Stricken Boss Draws "First Blood"

THE Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA), reeling under the weight of allegations of irregularities in the award of Quay Two extension contract to a Dutch Company, INTERBETON, has caught the headlines again.

Director-General Ben Owusu Mensah has fired the first missile which landed at the headquarters of the authority at Tema, gradually magnetising supposed victims to the frontline as the battle-lines draw.

He has restructured the authority's management team and sidelined two key positions, the solicitor secretary of the GPHA and secretary to the board manned by Mr. Richard Deih and the chief engineer, Mr. Ray Anamoo respectively.

Also removed from the team are estate manager, Anthony Jim-Fugar, and Chief of Development and Corporate Planning, Cletus Kuzagbeh.

The Director-General has however maintained a five-man team made up of himself, directors of Ports Tema/Takoradi Gordon Anim and Nesta Galley respectively, Chief of Personnel and Administration, Kwadwo Andasi Bona, financial controller, Kwame Asante and chief internal auditor, Cyril Nertey.

Conspicuously missing from the team is the fishing harbour general manager, Maj. (rtd). Ntow, thereby placing the fishing ports activities directly under the supervision of the Director-General.

A memo dated 22nd May, 2003 ref. DG/Conf/V.43/069 from the director-general, headquarters wad headlined 'Management" fired the shells.

According to the memo, which was circulated to Director of Port, Tema/Takoradi, heads of department, Hqtrs, General Manager, Tema Fishing Harbour, with immediate effect management meetings will be restricted to the mentioned officials.

For the avoidance of any doubt, the mentioned officials will henceforth constitute the management team of the GPHA, it added.

The Chronicle gathered that there is high suspicion that the director-general's reaction was induced by his claim that certain key officers leaked official documents to the Chronicle in respect of the Quay Two extension contract, which was snatched from the Chinese to the Dutch company, INTERBETON.

Speculations are that it was the Ewes and Northerners in the management who are perceived to be sympathisers to the National Democratic Congress (NDC) who might have leaked the information of the deal to the paper.

Indications are that, the only Ewe left in the team, Nesta Galley, who is the director of the Takoradi Port, would have also been removed, but saved by the fact that the right substantive director could not be found yet.

He might be going soon however, it was gathered. With the alleged marginalisation taking place, the belief is that the stage is now set for not only tribal sentiments but also political angles being drawn into the management of the GPHA.

Another Ewe completely sidelined, according to our sources, is a Mrs. Torkunu, in charge of Marketing and Customer Relations of the GPHA, completing the cycle.

The absence of solicitor secretary of the authority and secretary to the board, Richard Deih, an Ewe, who is to guide management on legal issues, has set tongues wagging whether there is any hidden agenda.

As for the chief Engineer, R.A.Y. Anamoo, information gathered has that there is open bitterness between himself and the Director-General over what could not be explained.

Anamoo was the project engineer when Boskalis undertook the Tema Port dredging that ended last year.

Diving deeper, the Chronicle chanced on vital information that two members of the management team now sidelined, Anamoo and Jim Fugar, the latter an Ewe, were members of a local assemblage that evaluated bidddings submitted for the Quay Two extension and even disqualified Interbeton and found China Harbour eligible, but the GPHA did the opposite.

About four years ago, the GPHA was soaked in a similar irregularity in the award of contract for the purchase of spare for the authority's printing press.

With these trends, a consortium of companies who have been offered the dedicated containerised terminal operations, Built Operate and Transfer ( BOT), are said to be entertaining fears that the investment will not be guaranteed for the fact that management of the GPHA may change its mind, in spite of what has been sealed.

Sources close to the board hinted that that body was aware of the shake-up which seems to have been done on tribal and political line more than anything else, or, better still, to seal loopholes for information leakage.