Ghana Airways CEO FIRED!

REASON: Incompetence and mismanagement of airline
THE President, John Agyekum Kufuor, yesterday dismissed the Chief Executive Officer of the national airline, Ghana Airways, Mr. Phillip Owusu, for incompetence, mismanagement and disrespect to authority, sources have indicated.

He has been asked to hand over all the property belonging to the company to the board chairman, Dr. E. R. K. Dwomoh.

His removal came as a result of signing a project deal with an Australian aviation company without the knowledge of the Roads and Transport minister, Dr. Richard Anane, and the airline's board.

Akua Frimpomaa Sarpong, the acting head of administration, has been asked to act until a substantive chief executive is appointed.

Meanwhile, Mr. Owusu has denied the allegations, accusing the deputy minister, Mr. Emmanuel Adjei Boye, and the board of directors of undermining his administration.

Mr. Owusu, who assumed office in June, last year, has been plagued with a number of demonstrations by the workers of the airline on many occasions, calling for the dissolution of the management and the board.

In his bid to reform the airline, which is saddled with about $160 million, Mr. Owusu engaged the services of a British expert to man the airline last year.

Last December, the board nearly sacked Mr. Owusu for gross disrespect, when he walked out of meeting convened by the board chairman, Dr. E. R. K. Dwomoh.

This action of the President would receive a good appreciation by the Senior Staff Association of the airline because previously, the secretary to the association accused the CEO and the board chairman, Mr. Dwomoh, of not making public the forensic audit that was instituted into the company, although the report implicated some management members who are still at post.

According to the secretary, the same people who were implicated by the forensic audit report were running the company and engaging in corrupt activities, which was collapsing the national carrier.

The secretary allegedly accused some personalities within the management of receiving kick-backs from leasing of aircraft.

This attitude, the secretary noted, was fast increasing the financial burden of the airline and pushing it towards the verge of collapse