‘Don’t meddle in SOEs day-to-day affairs’ -Mahama cautions Board Chairs

President John Dramani Mahama has cautioned Board Chairs of State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs) to desist from medelling in the day-to-day running of State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs). He said Board Chairpersons must not take up offices in their entities and report to work every day as though they occupied full-time executive positions. “A Board is not a ceremonial position. A membership is not an advertisement. A board is responsible for the strategic direction, policy, riskable insights, integrity of financial reporting, and the institutional performance,” the President said in his remarks at the 2026 SIGA Governing Boards and CEOs Conference. The conference was on the theme: “Creating Public Value Through Leadership, Corporate Governance and Performance Excellence.

” President Mahama said executive authority was not a personal privilege, adding, that, “it is a measurable responsibility to develop, deliver results in accordance with the law, government policy, and strategic direction that is approved by the board. “A certain distinction must remain clear. A Board governs and Management manages. ” He said a board that assumes responsibility for routine operational decisions weakens accountability through interference. He also tasked the Boards of SOEs to exercise oversight with independence, competence, and integrity. President Mahama noted that any Board or Chief Executive, who persistently placed an entity beyond lawful oversight demonstrated an unwillingness to account for public assets, and such conduct weighted decisively in decisions about the continued tenure of the responsible appointees. “Every board must exercise oversight with independence, competence, and integrity. Every chief executive must manage effectively and deliver results that are measurable. Every…