Felix Gyamfi, Director-General of the National Service Authority (NSA), has vowed to steer the agency away from financial liabilities and lead with integrity and accountability.
Speaking on Woezor TV’s program The Interview monitored by Kumasimail.com, Gyamfi candidly addressed the significant challenges confronting the NSA since his appointment.
Gyamfi described the state of the NSA as one marked by “decay,” highlighting critical operational setbacks.
He revealed that the agency’s income-generating venture, the Bolehole Rick, had deteriorated significantly.
“Our bolehole Rick, which is an income generating venture for us, had to run down,” he emphasized.
Additionally, the fleet of vehicles used by the authority has not been updated since 2016, forcing the agency to incur costly repairs on aging assets.
“The last sort of cars that we bought for the authority was in 2016. It’s 10 years next year. Now I have to deal with very expensive repair,” Gyamfi explained.
He expressed hope that with the upcoming military training budget, the NSA would call on the Ministry of Finance for funds to retool and modernize its head office infrastructure.
The Director-General also acknowledged a substantial debt backlog owed to various suppliers and consultants, which has weighed heavily on the authority’s operations.
He stressed “We have a very big debt overhank, that I have not spoken about. We own pockets of suppliers, consultants all over the place that we have to pay.”
When questioned about the origins of these debts, Gyamfi attributed the problem to a lack of effective leadership in the past.
“It’s strange, really, but it boils down to leadership deficits,” he said.
“I am committed to not leaving debts for anyone to inherit, whether I serve for 4 years or 10 years”, he added.
Gyamfi emphasized that clearing these debts is not only a financial imperative but also a reflection of his personal values.
“I have debts to clear but it’s also a reflection of what sort of person that I am. And then I intend to lead with my character as well, that this is me. If we don’t have money for something, I will not buy it because in my personal life, I don’t do that.”
He pledged to lead by example, refusing to engage in questionable procurement practices or spend beyond the agency’s means.
“If we have questionable procurement issues to handle, I would rather not get involved at all because I know how to buy on my own without getting involved in questionable debts.”
The Director-General underscored his philosophy of fiscal responsibility, stating, “If we don’t have the money for something, I will not buy it. This is how I live my personal life, and I intend to apply the same principle at the NSA.”
Gyamfi expressed optimism about the NSA’s agricultural projects, particularly the maize and fertilizer initiatives supported by the President.
“If we’re spending money that will not bring us the return on the investment am not going to get into it, I have said that maize the President gave us this year to plant, and the Fertilizer if I would have to go back to the President next year to request new maize and the fertilizer then I’ve failed that would not be business”.
He set a clear benchmark for success, stating that if he must return to request additional maize and fertilizer next year, it would signify failure.
“I am looking forward to returning the maize and fertilizer back to the President and say Thank you, we made money”,he declared.
Source :www.kumasimail.com/Kwadwo Owusu
