Deputy CEO of GEPA must be tamed

It has become apparently obvious that the gross consistent ugly insubordination on going at the Ghana Export Promotion Authority by no other person than the Deputy Chief Executive Officer Mr. Akilu Sayibu is nothing short of an attempt to overtly and covertly incapacitate and demean the efforts of an otherwise illustrious and industrious boss and CEO of Ghana Export Promotion Authority, Gifty Klenam, and he must be whipped into line.

On August 22, 2017, peacefmonline published a story captioned ‘deputy GEPA CEO meets minority leader’ in which the deputy CEO is said to have paid a courtesy call on the former trade and industry minister and now minority leader of parliament, Haruna Iddrisu.

What is lamentable is the fact that the meeting which was meant to ‘enable the new deputy CEO to draw on the rich experiences of the venerable lawmaker’ was without recourse to CEO of GEPA and president of the Republic of Ghana, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo.

It is common knowledge that in every corporate organisation and institutions across the world workers and for that matter subordinates take instructions from their superiors in the discharge of their day to day activities.

For reasons that cannot be justified by the deputy CEO of Ghana Export Promotion Authority, the deputy CEO has adopted a not too well attitude known in Ghanaian parlance as the “pull him down” syndrome and in this case pull her, Gifty Klenam, the CEO of GEPA down.

It must be put on record that the president of the Republic of Ghana, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo is a gender advocate and it is within this spirit that the president appointed women in key positions of his government to prove his call in that direction, hence the appointment of Gifty Klenam as CEO of GEPA, Otiko Djaba as gender minister, Hon. Frema as Chief of Staff among others.

Insider news, however, has it that there have been several deliberate attempts by the deputy CEO to thwart the agenda and programmes of his superior as he acts with impudence with no regard to the CEO of GEPA. A situation if not nipped in the bud could lead to dire consequences for GEPA and government as far as delivering its agenda to the people is concerned.

Mr. Sayibu was appointed to complement the efforts of the CEO to boost the country’s Non-Traditional Exports and project government’s agenda for creating jobs and the earlier he is called to order the better.

He must, therefore, not trade the opportunity offered him by the president in any way to project his personal agenda. Mr. Akilu Sayibu should see himself as subordinate and not take the leniency of his boss, Gifty Klenam for a ride.

The president is clear in his assurances to the good people of Ghana that he means business and the deputy CEO must sing from the same hymn book if he believes in the collective agenda.

''A word to the wise is enough.''