Government appoints Five-Man Team to manage VRA

Accra, Sept 22, GNA - Government has appointed a five-man Management Team to steer the affairs of the Volta River Authority (VRA) pending the implementation of the Energy Sector Reforms.

The Team is under the chairmanship of Mr Kweku Awotwe, Managing Director Strategic Planning of the Ashanti Goldfields Company Limited.

Briefing Journalists in Accra on Monday, Dr Kwesi Ndoum, Minister of Energy confirmed the resignation of Dr Charles Wereko Brobbey and Dr Jabesh Amissah-Arthur, Chief Executive and Deputy Chief Executive in charge of Engineering and Operations, respectively, saying Dr Wereko-Brobbey resigned to pave the way for peace while Mr Amissah Arthur resigned to make it possible for government to carry out the changes anticipated with greater confidence.

Dr Ndoum, however, said the VRA Board would stay in office until the President returned from his trip to the US.

The Energy Minister said the full list of the Team could not be divulged since the fifth person was yet to be contacted and confirmed. He said the steps taken reflected government's determination to hold the Management of the Energy Sector in general to a higher standard as existed in well-performing organisations throughout the world.

Dr Ndoum said: "The Team will work as any normal management team and if they find in their work any wrong doing, I guess the appropriate institutions would be called in to take action."

He said other management staff of the VRA involved in the renting of the Strategic Reserve Plant (SRP) have been interdicted and would be on suspension without pay for three months.

"When they come back after the three months, they are to perform in exemplary manner before they will be allowed to go on with their previous jobs," he said, adding, " this is to make the point that when we put people in positions, they must do so with diligence ensuring that their contribution will lead to success of their organisations." Dr Ndoum said government did not expect any other Management Staff to resign.

He said it was important to halt the decline in Power Sector Project Planning and implementation that had become evident over the last decade.

"Our conclusion is that VRA has not learnt from the costly delays experienced in the implementation of projects in the power sector some of which still stand virtually as white elephants."