Ghana: Jubilee House Boils Over Attempt By President’s Secretary To Get Cousin Appointed CEO Of GNPC

Ghana’s seat of government, the Jubilee House, is boiling over seeming pressure by Nana Asante Bediatuo, Secretary to President Nana Akufo-Addo, and Board Chair of Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC), Freddie Blay, on President Nana Akufo-Addo to appoint Opoku Ahweneeh Danquah as the next CEO of GNPC when the current CEO, Dr K.K. Sarpong’s contract ends on 22 April 2022.

Mr Opoku Danquah, who is a Deputy CEO of GNPC in charge of Technical, is a direct cousin of Nana Asante Bediatuo, Secretary to the President.

He joined GNPC in 2020.

Sources within the presidency and GNPC told energynewsafrica.com that the Board of GNPC met last Monday, April 18, 2022, and took Opoku Danquah through the handing over processes, a move many in the government have described as a deliberate attempt to sway the judgment of the President in choosing Opoku Ahweneeh-Danquah as the most competent among the three deputy CEOs of GNPC.

Many at the seat of government are worried over the deliberate move by the duo because of claims by critics of President Nana Akufo-Addo that he is running a family and friends government.

According to energynewsafrica.com’s source,  the attempt by the GNPC Board Chair and the President’s Secretary to get Opoku Ahweneeh-Danquah appointed is purely based on their intention to remote control him to get what they want.

Sources within the government said Mr Freddie Blay has had a tough time with Dr K.K Sarpong, who appears to be ‘stubborn’ when it comes to making certain demands and, therefore, wants someone he can easily control.

Although Opoku Danquah has worked with some foreign-based entities, his experience and knowledge cannot be compared to that of Benjamin Kweku Acolatse and Joseph Dadzie, who have been in management positions between 26 and 30 years in both private and public sector institutions.

For instance, Benjamin Kweku Acolatse, who is the Deputy CEO in charge of Finance and Administration and a graduate of the University of London, Ghana School of Law and Kwame University of Science and Technology, is a lawyer, Chartered Accountant & Computer & System Analyst.

He is currently pursuing PhD in Business Administration at the Noble International Business School.

He has over 26 years of executive management experience in both private and public sector institutions including oil and gas, automobile, railway infrastructure and regulations.

Before joining the GNPC in 2020, Mr Benjamin Kweku Acolatse was a Deputy CEO at the Ghana Railway Development Authority (GRDA).

Mr Joseph Dadzie, the Deputy Chief Executive Officer with responsibility for Corporate Strategy, Marketing, Gas Business, New Business & Investments, holds an MSc. Degree in General Management, an MBA in Finance and a BSc. (Hons) Degree in Chemical Engineering.

Before his current role, he was the General Manager for GNPC’s Commercial Division.

Mr Dadzie has about 30 years of wide and varied industry experience in Oil & Gas, Telecommunications, Finance and Banking.

Although Mr Opoku Ahweneeh-Danquah Jnr, the Deputy CEO of GNPC responsible for Technical Operations, is a product of The Fletcher University (Turfs University), Middle College and Presbyterian Boys’ Secondary School has worked with General Electric (GE), Houston, Texas as Director of Research, and Wood Mackenzie, as Energy & Industry Senior Analyst Houston, Texas, his expertise, according to our sources in the industry, is not up to the scratch.

President Akufo-Addo is said to be unhappy about the move by his relative.

Sources within government and GNPC indicates that the Board Chairman Mr Freddie Blay has written a Memo to management and staff of GNPC to inform them that Mr. Opoku Ahweneeh-Danquah has been appointed as acting CEO of GNPC.

According to energynewsafrica.com sources, Mr Opoku Ahweneeh-Danquah has planned to meet Management and staff of the Corporation next week.

Source: https://energynewsafrica.com