VRA Senior staff association opposes privatization calls

Ghanaian

The chairman of the Senior Staff Association of the Volta River Authority (VRA), Theophilus Tetteh Ahia, has rejected calls for the privatization of the company, describing them as unnecessary.

This stance comes in response to a recent suggestion by Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, urging the government to divest state-owned enterprises, including VRA and the Ghana Grid Company (GRIDCo),

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While other stakeholders have clarified that the Asantehene advocates for greater private sector participation rather than complete privatization, the Senior Staff Association of VRA remains opposed to the idea.

In an interview with Citi News, Theophilus Tetteh Ahia pointed out that previous privatization attempts for government institutions have not been successful.

Ahia stated, “In recent times, there have been calls from people for VRA thermal operations to be privatized. We are in this country; we have seen a lot of state-owned institutions being privatized. I don’t think we can point one out and say, look, yes, we did privatize this one, and it is one of the best that we see. A lot of them have gone under, and people have lost their jobs.”

He emphasized that VRA is currently operating at full capacity, with its thermal plants running efficiently and contributing to the national grid.

Ahia noted that even Independent Power Producers generate only one-third of what VRA produces, highlighting the company's significant role in the country's power generation.

He added, “So, sometimes it beats our imagination to hear that we should sell the state entities that are doing well, and that are supporting us.”