Sell ECG, Then TOR And Ghana Railways

"ECG must be privatised because it has too many employees yet they fail to stop illegal connections and bills remain unpaid. Again, some of the workers are actually involved in the illegal connections and also collect bribes from customers who have either done illegal connections or are due for disconnection for unpaid bills. If ECG is privatised such bad apples will be dismissed for colluding and collecting bribes and bills will be collected. That way ECG will have more funds to invest and provide better services. Moreover, the wage bill on the state will reduce. For these reasons, I fully support the sale of ECG. This is common sense and Ghana should not wait for IMF to make such a recommendation."

---Kofi Ata---

Well said, Kofi.This is the reason I continue to support President Kufuor's sale of Ghana Telecom. The sale of Ghana Telecom opened the market for private companies that have made telephone access easier and cost cheaper because of competition.

Ghana Telecom had 6500 employees at the time it was sold and was losing 50 million dollars every year. Can you imagine 6500 more workers on government payroll now with SSSS wages? Vodafone bought GT with 6500 workers and immediately trimmed the workforce to 2300, getting rid of the uneeded and ghost workers and turned a company that was losing 50 million a year to a profitable company.

I just don't understand this Ghanaian belief that government has to hold on to companies that it cannot manage and draining our resources, is it the pride?

If selling ECG will stop 'dumsor dumsor' for ever, let's do it immediately and after that Tema Oil Refinery (TOR) too should be sold to improve the supply of petroleum products to Ghanaians and stop the constant shortage.

I was amazed about the positive response for the impending sale of ECG with people believing that government monopoly of this sector has contributed to the insufficient supply of our energy needs. Why then are the same people against the sale of Ghana Telecom that modernized our telecommunication sector that has made Ghana the number one country in West Africa in telecommunication advancement? Is it because of politics?

The government of Ghana has no business holding on to Ghana Railways and should sell that industry too to private company that can modernize it and start the introduction of speed rails to our transportation system.

The government intention of reviving Ghana Airways is in the wrong direction. We should allow private companies to operate Ghana Airways and Ghana Railways if we are to modernize our transportation sector.

Justice Sarpong

((CARDINAL of TRUTH)