Prof Gyampo Suspends Foreign Travel for GSA Staff

Accra, Ghana  14  April, 2025 - The Ghana Shippers Authority (GSA) has suspended all non-essential foreign travel for its staff in a bid to cut costs and navigate financial difficulties.

Chief Executive Officer Professor Ransford Gyampo revealed in an interview with Adom FM that even essential trips will be undertaken in economy class, a measure he says reflects the organization's current financial reality.

 According to him, this cost-cutting initiative is to address GSA's financial challenges after the government's decision to consolidate excess funds from state institutions left the Authority cash-strapped. 

He noted that the suspension is on all non-essential foreign travel, with exceptions only for travels directly related to the Authority's work, and even then, all staff, including the CEO, will travel economy class. Professor Gyampo emphasized that he has already adopted this practice, stating, "I believe I am the only CEO in Ghana at the moment who travels abroad with an economy class ticket. I do so because the current financial position of my organization makes it unethical and unthinkable for me to be opulent."

Additional measures include terminating some contracts, renegotiating others to secure better prices, and temporarily putting some staff allowances and incentive packages on hold.

Professor Gyampo dismissed allegations of indulging in luxuries, describing claims of purchasing a luxury massage chair for his office as "senseless and ignorant propaganda." He also clarified that he uses an old government vehicle strictly for official purposes and relies on his personal car for private events.

These austerity measures align with President John Mahama's "reset Ghana" agenda, aimed at promoting prudent financial management and accountability in public institutions. 

Read the text from the interview below.

Q: We are gathering that you have introduced a number of cost-cutting initiatives since taking over as the CEO of GSA. Tell us about some of them.

A: I believe I am the only CEO in Ghana at the moment who travels abroad with an economy class ticket. I do so because the current financial position of my organization makes it unethical and unthinkable for me to be opulent. I am of the firm belief and conviction that, CEOs and Managers of organizations that run at a loss must have no business enjoying largess that go with their positions.

Q:What influenced this initiative?

A:The Government of President Mahama adopted an innovative way to raise money internally to meet the demands of bond holders who in the previous political administration were treated with disrespect and allowed to picket at the finance ministry. This innovative fund raising strategy was simply about sweeping the excess financial resources of the various government agencies from their accounts and using them to do government business including honoring governmental financial responsibility to its stakeholders. Through this initiative, the financial resources and monies saved by the Ghana Shippers Authority were swept away. This meant the Authority suddenly became cash strapped. So as CEO, I had to offer an innovative response to cut expenditure to ensure that the organization survives. I terminated some contracts that had been signed and renegotiated others to beat their prices down. Some staff allowances and incentive packages have been put on hold. I have also directed a suspension of all foreign travels except the ones that have a direct bearing on the work of the Authority and even this, every participant, from the CEO to the daily rated employee would travel with an Economy Class Ticket. I have done this myself on the few occasions that I have had to travel and this would continue. We must rethink the practice where very ordinary people who get political appointments suddenly develop over bloated sense of themselves.

Q: This could be quite tough. No?

A: I am a Teacher and a Unionist. I come from a very modest background and though by the grace of God and through hard work, I was living comfortably even before I was appointed as CEO, my modest background and the kind of training I got have tended to shape what I do. That’s why I described as senseless and ignorant propaganda, the claim that I had gone to buy a massaging chair in my office in spite of all that I am doing to save money and cut cost. Competent and effective propaganda is not for little minds and it is important the opposition quickly look for a leader who appreciate this and quickly rebuild the party to position it as credible in offering criticisms and alternative ideas, else Ghana may remain a one party state for a long time.

Q: This “massaging chair” issue! There was also one about the car you use. Can you throw more light on that one too?

A: I was offered an old vehicle which I use only to and from work. I drive my own car to church, funerals, weddings and to all social gatherings. Government vehicles must only be used for government business.

Q: Is this your contribution to the resetting agenda of the current government?

A: I remain focus in what I want to do to help President Mahama reset Ghana and by the grace of God, I cannot fail. Given how low the governance baseline was set by the previous government, I am confident that the ruling party would succeed with a little effort targeted at resetting Ghana. How did a leader in Malaysia rule for over twenty years and transform his country? We all had independence at the same year. So how is Malaysia more developed that Ghana? It is because the leader who stayed in power governed well by assembling the right caliber of people from academia, civil society, political parties even from the opposition and from elsewhere.

Q: What’s your general view of the Mahama-led administration?

A: President Mahama has started well by asking some of us who do not even belong to his party to come in to help. I know he would do more of these appointments so we can all help in his reset agenda. If we succeed, he would leave a great legacy; if we succeed, Ghana will succeed; and if we succeed, the ruling party would have enough message to tell Ghanaians in many future elections. And insha Allah, we would succeed, given the kind of commonsensical approach we are adopting in handling simple problems. We won’t countenance people’s sense of entitlement to perpetuate what is wrong. We will change the status quo.

Source: Lead News Online