By Madi Jobarteh
In February 2023, the media reported that the Government signed performance contracts with three state-owned enterprises (SOEs): GPA, GNPC, and SSHFC. Then, in December 2023, it was again reported that the Government signed another performance contract with four more SOEs: GPPC, GIA, GamPost, and the National Food Safety and Processing Marketing Cooperation (formerly called GGC). Interestingly, there has been no news that NAWEC has signed a performance contract with the Government yet.
In April 2023, the National Assembly passed the SOE Bill into law. In September 2023, the President inaugurated the SOE Commission comprising six commissioners, namely Baboucarr Sompo Ceesay, Adama Deen, Cecilia Baldeh, Amie Njie, Sagarr Twum, and chaired by Ousainou Ngum.
On Wednesday, 19 June 2024, the SOE Commission submitted its first report on NAWEC to the President. According to the Commission, “NAWEC only achieved 30% and 20% of the targets set for its Key Performance Indicators in 2021 and 2022, respectively.” The Commission has recommended that all NAWEC staff be deducted 5% of their salary for not meeting the Key Performance Indicators (KPI) targets set for 2021 and 2022.
I find this recommendation unfair to most of NAWEC’s staff, who should not be held responsible for the institution’s underperformance. A flat deduction across the Board affects low-salary earners, usually the hardworking people in the field. They do not have any leadership, policy, strategic, or management role to make decisions, set standards, or correct anomalies. In most cases, these lowly-paid officers are under-resourced, ill-equipped, and unprotected in their work under the hot sun.
Therefore, why should these poorly paid officers with no decision-making power and authority suffer for the performance of those who hold the power and authority to decide for the institution? The Board and Management of NAWEC, like any other institution, bear primary responsibility for the institution’s performance.
They have the power and authority to decide on resources, recruitment, personnel, services, and the overall direction of the institution. They also have the power and authority to set standards and targets and ensure accountability. Hence, the performance of NAWEC lies first and foremost with the top Management and the Board of Directors. They are the ones to be punished!
The question is, have the Management and the Board of NAWEC been up to the task? If they were, how come the institution is underperforming? In the meantime, top Management and Board officials enjoy the highest salaries, allowances, incentives, and benefits. They want these incentives so that they can provide the best strategies, effective management, and quality policy direction for the institution. However, their failure to ensure efficiency, performance, and delivery is why NAWEC has underperformed.
Therefore, the SOE Commission cannot impose a flat punishment for everyone equally. The Commission should have figured out that some NAWEC staff members bear more responsibility than others and distribute the punishment accordingly. Some directors in NAWEC are receiving more than 200% above the salary of some junior staffers in the field. Yet these field staff can only do something if the resources and equipment they need are available, which should have come from the top directors.
I would like to call on the NAWEC Staff Association to challenge the SOE Commission’s unfair, unjust, and discriminatory decision. They must not accept the poor leadership and management of the Board, directors, and managers. There is a lot of corruption in the SOEs perpetrated by their boards and management, which is the reason for their poor performance. How can the junior and field staff suffer for the misconduct of those at the top?
Meanwhile, the SOE Commission and the Ministry of Finance should be transparent about their work. The documents have not been released publicly since these performance contracts were signed, and the SOE Commission’s report on NAWEC has also not been released publicly. Citizens have a right to know what is in those performance contracts and the NAWEC Report. If the Government is interested in ensuring that SOEs are performing efficiently in their work, then it must be transparent. Citizens have a right to know.
