The reconstituted board of the Architectural and Engineering Services Limited (AESL) was inaugurated in Accra yesterday with a call on them to initiate strategies to help the company expand to other West African countries.
The seven-member board chaired by Professor Kwame Asamoahhas Mr Isaac Agyei Marfo, Reverend Stephen Osei Yaw, Professor De-Graft Owusu-Manu, Mr Basko A. Kante, Madam Susana Asamoah and Miss Dakoa Newman as members.
The Minister of Works and Housing, Mr Francis Asenso-Boakye, who led the board members to swear the oath of office and secrecy, tasked the board to prove leadership role in the construction and consultancy industry in the country and to conduct business in the West African sub region.
“I entreat you to continue to work hard and take AESL to the next height. I have had the opportunity to travel around the West African region and I see the need of our services in these countries. It means, we can go beyond Ghana, especially, in the land locked countries of Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger,” he added.
He admonished the board to guide and regulate the administration of the Ministry in pursuance of its objectives in pushing the transformational agenda in the sector.
He urged the board members not to concentrate only on government contracts, adding that “this government has always said that the private sector is always the engine of growth, and therefore we’ve been providing an enabling environment for the private sector to thrive and that is why a lot of private companies in Ghana now are in the area of construction, engineering, and many others should be in the target market as well.”
Mr Asenso-Boakyeunderscored the need for them to desist from interfering with the role of management as their functions were distinct.
“Now one of the things that we have experienced is that when boards like this are inaugurated, they think that their duty is to manage the organisation, but unfortunately that is not the duty of the board. Board of Directors is supposed to supervise, provide strategic direction to the management and live the direct day to day administration of the company to the Management.
“You are supposed to set standards, monitor and evaluate their work. You have seen examples where some board chairmen want to go to management and give instructions. That is not how the way it should go,” he stated
The Chairperson, Professor Asamoah, on behalf of the board thanked the President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and the Minister for the honour and the confidence reposed in them.
He assured government of the board’s commitment to provide excellent leadership to ensure that they played a central role in the President’s exceptional infrastructure development agenda.
“I must be quick to add that equally, we are mindful of the sacred trust reposed in us. This is an opportunity to serve and much work awaits us to further transform AESL, particularly amidst the socio-economic challenges of COVID-19 pandemic. I am confident nonetheless that we will seize this opportunity to take our future to heart and build a lasting legacy.
“We will abide by the guiding principles of value for money, excellence, professionalism, integrity, high ethical standards to ensure that the interest of the public is advanced,” he added.
BY VIVIAN ARTHUR
