President Mahama Charges SOEs to Deliver Measurable Value to Citizens
President John Dramani Mahama has declared that public ownership must produce measurable public value, charging governing boards and chief executives of State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs) to demonstrate how their institutions improve the lives of Ghanaians.
He said the nation’s ports, power infrastructure, water systems, factories, lands and other public assets belong to the people of Ghana, and not to governments, boards or chief executives.
Addressing the SIGA Governing Boards and CEOs Conference in Accra on Thursday, the President said public officials merely hold those assets in trust on behalf of citizens.
“The central proposition of this conference is simple: public ownership must produce public value,” he stated.
President Mahama said every specified entity must provide credible evidence of the value it creates through profits, jobs, infrastructure, service delivery and national development outcomes.
He recalled that during his first meeting with chief executives in March 2025, government reset its relationship with state enterprises by making performance, value creation and profitability the basis for leadership accountability.
The President stressed that commercial SOEs must become efficient, competitive and financially sustainable, while public service institutions must deliver measurable social and economic value through reliable services and effective regulation.
He said the true measure of an institution is not how busy it appears, but whether its work improves the lives of farmers, traders, workers, entrepreneurs and students.
President Mahama also urged boards to modernise operations through automation, stronger data systems and reduced bureaucracy to improve services for citizens and businesses.
He directed every institution to clearly demonstrate how its strategy contributes to industrialisation, exports, infrastructure, technology, employment and improved public services.
Concluding his address, the President said the resources entrusted to state institutions must “work as hard for Ghana as our nurses, teachers, farmers and entrepreneurs work every day for this nation,” describing the conference as a call for discipline, accountability and measurable public value.
Richard Aniagyei, ISD
