General News of Monday, 19 October 2020

Source: www.ghanaweb.com

Kwame Owusu explains why he rejected GRA Board Chair appointment

Former Director-General of the Ghana Maritime Authority, Kwame Owusu Former Director-General of the Ghana Maritime Authority, Kwame Owusu

Former Director-General of the Ghana Maritime Authority, Kwame Owusu, has said one of the reasons he rejected his appointment as the Board Chair of the Ghana Revenue Authority was due to the attacks from both the media and other stakeholders.

Mr Owusu explained he rejected the offer so the public will know what the real issues are and also to focus on his business as it was not a matter of life and death for him to take up the appointment as a Board Chair.

He added that he wrote to President AKufo-Addo on September 18, 2019, to tell him he was not interested in a new appointment.

Speaking to JoyNews, he said, “You don’t want to go into an organization where people have not been satisfied. I felt I needed time for the public to know what the real issues are.”

“…when you (the media) started making noise like any other, I don’t know when they petitioned to the council of state, but it did not work because there is no element of truth in what they said have done.”

Mentioning president of think tank policy IMANI Africa, Franklin Cudjoe, as one of the many critics, the former Akufo-Addo appointee said he challenged the accusations made by Mr Cudjoe.

“When I was appointed I remember that yellow boy, Franklin Cudjoe seem to know everything, Kwame Owusu did that and this. And I challenged him. People are double standard. On September 18, I wrote to the president to withdraw my appointment. I told him I have been busy with some development. I rejected it because of noise.” He added.