BOARDROOM GOVERNANCE SUMMIT- CALL ON COS SPEECH JULY 16TH

Honourable Chief of Staff, Julius Debrah, distinguished dignitaries, captains of industry, representatives of professional organisations, ladies and gentlemen, all protocols observed; good morning.

It is truly an honour to be received this morning at Jubilee House, the heartbeat of our national leadership. Today’s courtesy call on the government is a reaffirmation of our shared belief that board governance excellence, particularly at the boardroom level, is not a peripheral discussion but a national imperative.

Allow me, first and foremost, to express our most profound appreciation to His Excellency President John Dramani Mahama for once again prioritising governance and leadership reform as key enablers of sustainable national development. Under his leadership, this conversation has gained renewed momentum and national relevance.

I also wish to extend warm thanks to the Honourable Chief of Staff, Julius Debrah, for graciously accepting our invitation to serve as the keynote speaker for the upcoming Boardroom Governance Summit. Your support, Honourable Chief of Staff, as well as your wisdom and unapologetic stance on boardroom governance reform, underscores the importance the government attaches to this agenda and sends a clear message that governance reform must transcend political seasons.

This national initiative on boardroom governance enjoys the backing of a wide range of professional bodies: the Institute of Directors Ghana, Ghana Institution of Engineering, Ghana Bar Association, Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply, Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport, Ghana Institute of Surveyors, Ghana Institute of Planners, the Tourism Industry Association, Institute of Chartered Accountants, The Ghana Medical Association, the Council of State, The Judicial Service, the Public Services Commission, CSIR, the Civil Service Commission, the Public Procurement Authority, the State Interests and Governance Authority, the African Corporate Governance Network, the Ghana-US Chamber of Commerce, the Association of Ghana Industries, and the Construction Industry Associations and Labadi Beach Hotel.

Our collective presence reflects a shared understanding that governance is the oxygen of industrialisation, investor confidence, and sustainable national transformation.

Ladies and gentlemen, let us speak plainly, for truth is the seed of progress.
Ghana has never lacked vision or policies. What has sometimes been missing are governance structures resilient enough to outlive political cycles and personal interests.

An African proverb says, “When the roots are deep, there is no reason to fear the wind.” So it is with boardroom governance. If the boardroom, whether in the corporate space, cabinet meetings, or ministerial committees, lacks depth, wisdom, competence, and courage, then institutions and nations crumble at the slightest political breeze.

It is important to remember that boardrooms are not only in corporate towers. Cabinets and ministerial committees are also boardrooms where decisions shaping the destiny of the nation are made. Like corporate boards, they must be guided by best-practice principles of transparency, accountability, competence, and ethical stewardship.

My distinguished colleagues, the upcoming summit is therefore more than an event; it is another significant step in a journey that began many years ago.

• In 1999, discussions were held in South Africa with President Rawlings on how boardroom governance could drive inclusive development.
• In 2003 in Ghana and again in 2006 in South Africa, the same message was shared with President Kufuor as a means to unlock private sector competitiveness.
• In 2009 and 2010, in South Africa, the late President Mills was briefed on the potential of corporatisation and institutional reform through improved boardroom governance. It is evident that His Excellency President Mahama continued this conversation, as seen in his frequent pronouncements on the need for stronger governance structures.
• In 2016 and 2021, the topic was again raised with President Akufo-Addo, linking boardroom governance to industrialisation and the UN SDGs.

The pace may have been gradual, but slow progress is better than no progress.  Today, in 2025, with the full support of His Excellency President Mahama and the gracious participation of the Honourable Julius Debrah as keynote speaker, we are taking yet another important step, not as a quiet conversation, but as a national call to action.

Ladies and gentlemen, today is about setting the tone for a national reset:

• A time when boardroom participation reflects the highest levels of competence and integrity, ensuring decisions are guided by merit and the nation’s best interest.
• A time when institutions are strengthened with resilient governance frameworks that safeguard continuity beyond political seasons.
• And a time when governance is seen not as an imposition, but a shared duty to generations yet unborn.

Boardrooms, both public and private, are the unseen classrooms of national destiny.

• When they become theatres of self-interest, the nation inherits unfulfilled promises.
• When they lack accountability, the people inherit confusion.
• But when they embrace competence, courage, and transparency, they shape the Ghana we all dream of.

Africa itself provides lessons:

• Kenya’s Equity Group Holdings Board transformed a small microfinance institution into East Africa’s largest bank through strategic governance.
• Botswana and Rwanda have demonstrated how strong cabinet oversight can drive generational transformation.
• From Asia, Singapore’s Temasek Holdings Board remains an example of governance discipline turning strategic investments into national prosperity.

Ghana has pockets of excellence, but we must strive for more.

Indeed, this courtesy call is about creating a platform for all of us, government, industry leaders, and governance practitioners, to rethink and reset how we approach leadership, accountability, and sustainability.

And so, ladies and gentlemen, it is my honour to acknowledge the bold visionary and generational thinker and board room governance advocate, Honourable Julius Debrah, who, with the full blessing of His Excellency President Mahama, will deliver the keynote at the upcoming summit.

Honourable Chief of Staff, we are deeply grateful for your wisdom and support, and with your kind permission, I now hand over to you for your brief remarks as we conclude this courtesy call to the seat of government.

Thank you.