Kwame Jantuah is a legal practitioner and a member of CPP
Legal practitioner, Kwame Jantuah, has expressed concern over the growing practice of governments appointing politicians to state institutions instead of individuals with the necessary technical expertise.
According to him, this ongoing trend, repeated by both the current and previous governments, poses a challenge to the economic system.
Jantuah argued that the lack of technical know-how and expertise among those appointed to manage state institutions undermines the effectiveness of these organisations.
He pointed out that some institutions require individuals with in-depth knowledge of their operations to function properly.
“Some of the institutions need technical management to handle it not politicians. This bit where we put politicians everywhere creates a challenge for the system because if you the politician don’t understand the company you have been put in, and the civil servants who are there to teach you end up teaching you the wrong things, how would you know if you are doing the right thing or not?” he said on TV3 NewDay on Friday, February 7, 2025.
He emphasised the need for individuals with the right technical expertise to manage state institutions effectively, calling on the government to adopt an approach that identifies institutions requiring technical management.
He urged that such institutions be led by appropriately skilled individuals, while political appointments should be limited to organisations that do not require specialised expertise.
“It’s not all the research that you do will make you understand the nitty-gritty of it, and TOR is a typical example. Maybe it’s high time we looked at the different parastatals and see which one needs real technical management staff to manage the institution and not politicians,” he said.
Jantuah, a member of the Convention People’s Party (CPP), concluded that if this approach is not adopted, individuals with personal interests and ambitions will begin infiltrating political parties solely to secure appointments, without possessing the necessary knowledge or skills.
He warned that this could negatively impact the institutions and hinder their effectiveness.
“Somebody who wants to manage GNPC or some of the big parastatals will put his way through, work very hard, get into the good books of the president, and will be appointed somewhere but doesn’t understand anything of where they have been put,” he ended.
MAG/AE
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