The Director-General of the State Interests and Governance Authority (SIGA), Edward Boateng, says the Authority is poised to reposition State Owned Enterprises (SOEs) in a way which enhances national development and raises the country’s flag high.
As such, he said, SIGA would collaborate with the media to enable it to familiarise itself with the authority’s roles and mandate in order to propagate the works of the Authority to the general public.
SIGA was established to oversee government’s interest in the specified entities to ensure they operate profitably and efficiently.
Mr Boateng was speaking in Accra on Thursday at the authority’s maiden editors’ forum on the theme “Understanding the role of SIGA.”
The forum was aimed at strengthening the existing relationship between the Authority and the media to provide the public with accurate information by way of data, facts, statistics and new developments.
Mr Boateng said SIGA was determined to make change to support the President’s vision for specified entities to contribute 30 per cent to the country’s GDP.
He emphasised that it was for that reason, the SIGA’s stakeholders must be informed of the numerous programmes and initiatives that the specified entities were implementing to help the country’s socioeconomic development.
“As a result, we will need your understanding and support to communicate our progress, challenges, and success stories to the public. Your efforts in educating the Ghanaian public on SIGA’s mandate and the very crucial role in turning these entities around cannot be overlooked,” he added.
Mr Boateng lauded editors for their roles in nation-building and stressed their importance as key stakeholders in disseminating information and educating the public on activities of specified entities through their media platforms.
In a presentation about the authority, SIGA’s Head of Corporate Affairs, Mr Stephen Asiedu, took the audience through the various projects the Authority had undertaken over the last few years for them to appreciate the scope of SIGA’s mandate and how it is being carried out in the country’s interests.
“Don’t hesitate to contact us if you require clarification on any SIGA-related discussion. We are ready to corroborate any news regarding our specified entities,” he said.
Following the presentation, a question-and-answer session was held during which various concerns were addressed.
The editors expressed gratitude to SIGA for deepening their understanding of the Authority’s mandate and pledged to educate the public well on the knowledge gathered.
The forum was attended by management and staff of the SIGA. SIGA intends to hold the Editors’ Forum quarterly to keep the press informed.