The leadership of the Volta River Authority and Northern Electricity Distribution Company (VRA-NEDCo) Staff Groups has strongly opposed the purported appointment of Jonathan Abdallah Salifu, the Upper East Regional Communications Officer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), as Corporate Communications Manager of NEDCo.
In a press statement issued on Monday, March 3 2025, the staff described the appointment as irregular, illegal, and violating NEDCo’s corporate governance principles. They insisted that no such appointment has been officially made and urged the government to refrain from political interference in the company’s affairs.
According to the staff, the alleged appointment, announced by Mr Salifu himself on Dreamz FM, a Bolgatanga-based radio station, on February 26, 2025, disregards NEDCo’s long-standing recruitment policies.
The staff further highlighted that the current Corporate Communications Manager has served for 20 years, rising through the ranks based on merit and therefore argued that bypassing him with a politically appointed individual demoralizes and discourages professionalism.
The statement referenced the Supreme Court case of Theophilus Donkor versus The Attorney General, which clarified that presidential appointments do not extend to public service positions under Article 195 of the 1992 Constitution.
They pointed out that NEDCo is not a public service entity under Article 190 of the Constitution, but rather a limited liability company wholly owned by VRA. As such, managerial appointments must follow the Companies Act and NEDCo’s internal procedures, rather than being imposed politically.
“Never in NEDCo’s history has a managerial position been filled directly by the government or the Office of the President. This sets a dangerous precedent and undermines the professional standards that have been the bedrock of our organization,
“While the political class has the authority to make certain appointments, this authority is not absolute and must be exercised within the bounds of the law,” the statement read.
