Opinions of Thursday, 15 April 2010

Columnist: Gyanfo, Ibrahim

Are We As A Country Serious About Our SOEs?

To begin with i would like to try and define SOE. SOE's are enterprises formed by the state to provide essential services for its citizens.

In Ghana in the 1960's we as a nation could boast of a lot of SOE's, from the Komenda sugar factory, Kumasi jute factory, Black Star Lline, Ghana Telecom, Ghana Post and a host of others. But now we only have a few left. Many sold off through the divierstiture implementation committee. Some however are better off in private hands. But my focus today will be on only two of these SOE's. Ghana Post and Graphic Communication Group. Somewhere last year I read from the Daily Graphic(I think) that the Graphic group is the Best SOE in Ghana. I just wonder how it could be that they are the best SOE in Ghana. I have the chance of travelling to Tamale at least once in a year. I love to read the dailies including Daily Graphic. However on a number of occasions for example today being 9th April I will not get today's paper until about noon. Are you surprised? This is even Tamale,the paper will get to Bolgatanga in the evening. So the question I have always asked is that are these people in the 21st century or did we leave them behind in the 20th century? But in this day and age I believe the papers can reach the corners of Ghana before 9am. There is an Antrak flight from Accra to Tamale as early as 5am, by which timesure the papers would be off the printing line. So what stops them from sending it earlier. They prefer to send it by bus and it will get there late and few will be bought that's what they want,right? I believe this is common sense if they send a lot and it gets there on time more will be bought , won't they? I believe that there can be a workable contract between the Graphic group and Antrak Air for the latter to transport the papers to the fartherest? part of Ghana. I believe if it is worked out well our national newspaper can go international.In the same way Ghana Post Company can also work out something with Antrak Air and in effect we will get our letters the same day it is posted. T his way the customer is happy and the company is also happy in the sense that it makes more profit.It is time for us to make some money out of our SOE's.