Akufo-Addo commends SIGA for reducing financial losses among SOEs

The President, Nana Addo Dank­wa Akufo-Addo, has praised the State Interest and Governance Authority (SIGA) for significantly reducing financial losses among state-owned enterprises (SOEs) by over 40 per cent in 2023.

Despite the achievement, he said some SOEs continue to oper­ate at a loss and failed to comply with SIGA’s directives to submit their audited financial statements and management accounts.

He was speaking at the 2024 SIGA annual stakeholders engage­ment held here on Thursday on the theme “5 Years of Champion­ing Specified Entities Governance and Growth: The challenges and the way forward.”

The meeting, attended by Chief Executive Officers of Specific Entities (SEs), coincided with the 5th anniversary celebration of SIGA.

Its purpose was to establish a platform for these specific entities, including State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs), to reflect on their accomplishments, address challenges, and determine a path forward to ensure ongoing progress.

He stated that effective gover­nance required transparency and accountability, adding that SOEs must adhere to SIGA’s oversight.

“SIGA, established in 2015 following a diagnostic study by the World Bank, was created to address several challenges facing SOEs, including fragmented over­sight, weak governance practices, and a lack of transparency,” he said.

According to the President, SIGA’s formation was part of the government’s broader vision to build a “Ghana beyond aid,” ensuring efficient and accountable management of public enter­prises, which were critical to the nation’s economic growth and stability.

The President called on SIGA to continue strengthening over­sight, improving governance, and building capacity within SOEs to ensure they contributed mean­ingfully to the country’s develop­ment.

He also urged SIGA to embrace technology, particularly Artificial Intelligence, to drive efficiency and help SOEs achieve their goal of contributing 30 per cent to the nation’s GDP.

The chairman of the Parlia­mentary Committee on Public Administration and State Interest, Mr Kwabena Donkor, expressed concern over the failure of some SOEs’ to publish audited ac­counts since 2017.

He criticised the non-compli­ance of some SOEs and regu­latory bodies, emphasizing the need for improved management and accountability within these entities.

SIGA’s Director General, Mr John Boadu, highlighted the agency’s progress over the past five years.

The number of entities covered under the Annual Performance Contracts grew from 50 in 2020 to 79 in 2024, and SIGA has pub­lished reports for 2021, 2022, and 2023, he revealed.

“Through collaboration with the Controller and Accoun­tant General’s Department, the number of SOEs captured in the Consolidated National Accounts increased from 19 in 2020 to 62 in 2022,” he said.

He also noted that SOE con­tributions to GDP surged from GH¢ 10 billion in 2020 to GH¢ 58.27 billion in 2022, with total as­sets rising from GH¢ 51.8 billion to GH¢ 419 billion over the same period.

The Director General of SIGA expressed gratitude to the President and other stakeholders for their support, and hoped that SOEs would continue to play a key role in achieving the govern­ment’s development goals.