Zoomlion Bothered By Crucifixion On GYEEDA Report

By Nana Kow Blankson

August 3, 2013

The Management of Zoomlion Ghana Limited has decided not to comment on the Ministerial Committee report on the activities of the Ghana Youth Employment and Entrepreneurship Agency (GYEEDA) since it does not have a copy of the report or privy to the details in that report.

A statement by Mr Robert Coleman, acting Director of Communications for Zoomlion, indicates that it would also be inappropriate for the company to say anything concerning the report because Mr PV Obeng is leading a team tasked by President John Mahama to review the report on the operations of GYEEDA.

‘We do not want to pre-empt anything because we do not have a copy of the report, we do not know the details in the report, therefore, we do not want to say anything until the report is made available by the government,” he added.

“We would also like the media to stop bothering us with questions concerning the report since we think the media also do not have the full details of the GYEEDA report. I am convinced the GYEEDA report publication by the media are based on the extract of a draft report, and we would therefore, not be forced to make comments on a draft report”, Mr Coleman stressed.

Mr Coleman stated that, “Zoomlion will react to the report when it is made available by the government. But for now we do not want to jump the gun when we do not even have a copy of the draft report. We believe it would be appropriate if the media and all concerned Ghanaians just wait until Mr PV Obeng’s team finishes its work and presents it to the government. Zoomlion is here and here to stay, we are not running away, therefore the daily crucifixion by the media should stop.”

Mr Coleman made it known that Zoomlion will not be drawn into anything being spearheaded by the media for their own parochial interest and that the company has done nothing wrong in securing contracts from GYEEDA to help reduce the filth that has engulfed the country and also reduce the unemployment rate in the country.

Mr Coleman was very emphatic that the damaging stories on Zoomlion which is being planted everywhere and every day is seriously denting the image of the company and wondered why everybody in the media is in a rush to destroy Zoomlion.

He further stressed that Zoomlion has not been involved in any financial malfeasance which portions of the media are alleging, adding that Zoomlion has carried its responsibility of helping to rid the country of filth with zeal.

“We will no longer comment on anything concerning GYEEDA until the appropriate time. What a section of the media is doing to Zoomlion is unacceptable, reprehensible and not in the best interest of Zoomlion. They are simply putting the cart before the horse”, Mr Coleman added.

The GYEEDA social intervention program was caught up in alleged financial malpractices which led the government to set up a five-member committee to delve into the issue.

The committee was tasked to review the regulatory framework of GYEEDA, and how it has evolved to its current state, examining in detail the various modules and partner programmes.

The committee was also asked to perform current state analysis of financial management; operation of bank accounts, procurement and contracting procedures, disbursements, human resource and other management practices in addition to reviewing the capacity of persons entrusted with certain key responsibilities related to the mandate of the programme.

It also performed in-depth investigations of possible irregularities of crime and related financial losses and actions taken by management to recover possible embezzlement of money and other assets as the case may be and also evaluated the administrative and accounting procedures and disbursement procedures that have been followed.

The investigative report by the committee was presented to President Mahama by Mr Afriyie Ankrah, Minister of Youth and Sports on July 16, who promised that the recommendations in the report will be studied carefully while the operations of GYEEDA will be reviewed immediately.

"It is our intention to review and restructure GYEEDA radically based on the report that you have presented to ensure that the objectives for which it was set up are met and met in a timely and efficient manner and in a manner that ensures that the resources that government is committing to it give us value for money”, President Mahama stressed.

But on Wednesday July 31, President Mahama appointed Mr PV Obeng to lead a team to review the findings, conclusions and recommendations contained in the GYEEDA report. The team is also expected to advice the President on its plans to radically review the GYEEDA program.

This latest development by the President has not gone down well with some sections of the public notably the opposition NPP whose members have condemned Mr PV Obeng’s committee.

Others have even gone further in releasing the draft copy of the GYEEDA report to score a political point.

nkowblankson@yahoo.com