The CE and Management team successfully concluded their annual nationwide Area tours earlier this month, visiting the remaining three (3) Operational Areas – Tamale, Bolga and Tema – and the Head Office. While some specific and pertinent issues were raised in each location, a significant degree of consistency emerged across the tour.

During the tours, the Management team, led by the Chief Executive was met on arrival by the Area Managers and their colleagues.

The Chief Executive’s Key Messages

At each Operational Area, the CE welcomed staff back to work from the 2023 holidays and wished them a fruitful New Year. He emphasised the importance of continued dedication and diligence, underscoring the critical role staff play in ensuring GRIDCo achieves its mandate to enable the business to be sustainable.

Recognising the importance of work-life balance, the CE advised staff to carve out time for family and loved ones. Strong personal connections contribute significantly to happiness, he noted, ultimately benefitting both individuals and the organisation as a whole.

Ing. Essienyi reminded staff that 2024 is an election year, and encouraged utmost professionalism in all official activities. This, he stressed that is crucial to ensure reliable power transmission.

He also reminded staff that GRIDCo’s business is critical to the economic development of the country and so the Company needs to be efficient in its operations. He stated that Management is resolute in investing in the transmission system to ensure that the system works efficiently to serve customer needs and as well generate the required revenue for the Company. He thus urged staff to work together with Management to ensure GRIDCo remains a going concern.

In his final remarks, CE encouraged staff to undertake annual medical exams early in the year to ensure the early detection of any health conditions.

Issues Discussed

During the CE’s visits, staff aired the underlisted concerns on a cross-section of issues to which Management staff present took turns to respond to, at all the Operational Areas visited.

• Staff of the Lines Maintenance Section urged Management to urgently provide the tools and equipment needed to facilitate work seamlessly. Ing. Essienyi indicated that the procurement processes for toolboxes, and other equipment were almost completed.

• Training and development for the new cohort of staff and workshop staff.

• The need to recruit more technical staff.

• The need for swift action in processing ERP, Finance-related and overtime requests. Staff were asked to escalate ERP pending requests.

• The critical need for robust project vehicles

• Director Technical Services, Ing. Bernard Gyan reassured Line Maintenance and Protection & Control Teams that they will receive an allocation of project vehicles and tools & equipment this year.

Management also updated staff on the new Reward Management System, which is an improved approach to reward staff for their contribution.

At the Head Office, Tema

The Head Office, Tema was the final stop for the Chief Executive and his Management Team to engage staff, following their trip around the other Operational Areas.

During the session held on Friday 9th February 2024, staff asked several questions, including the delayed implementation of the ‘Ghana Wholesale Electricity Market’ (GWEM) as enshrined in law and falls within GRIDCo’s Mandate. Ing. Essienyi indicated that despite the lag, various actions are ongoing; engagements with stakeholders are nearing completion; approvals have been issued by the sector minister and in due time, the GWEM will be implemented.

The Salary Consolidation Policy was also discussed. CE urged the Staff Groups to engage and provide details of decisions made to Management. Mr. Francis Adjartey, Divisional Union Chairman informed the gathering that a Technical Committee was working on a report on the proposed policy, and promised that, as soon as the details of the report are ready, the engagement process will be rolled out for staff to understand the proposal before a final decision is taken.

CE urged Head Office Staff to take seriously, their role of providing and facilitating services to staff in all the other areas and asked them to speed up actions on requests made by staff outside the Head Office.

Tema Area Tour

Tema Area, led by the Manager, Ing. Stephen Amoah hosted the CE, Ing. Ebenezer Kofi Essienyi and Management. Most of the issues discussed focused on operations and actions for improvement.

The work locations of the Tema Operational Area Team are around prime areas in the Tema Region which have seen encroachment on GRIDCo’s Right of Way (RoW). It was within this context that CE was asked about efforts being made to protect GRIDCo’s Right of Way. Ing. Essienyi explained that, following Board approval, “a Land Management Directorate has been set up to ensure that RoW issues are addressed, and our lands protected, but we need to resource the team to ensure that it works well”.

Bolga Area Tour

At Bolga, Ing. Ebenezer Kofi Essienyi acknowledged the work done to restore the 82T3 Transformer, which ensured minimal interruption of the export of power to Burkina Faso. CE assured the Bolga Area that their efforts will not go unnoticed saying, “It’s a work well done so, we can fully acknowledge and appreciate all involved”.

Tamale Area Tour

The CE and Management were updated on some works on the Adubiliyilli Substation in Tamale and other works undertaken to improve power supply reliability.

The high point of Management’s visit to Tamale was the presentation of a “White Fugu” (Smock) to the CE by the SSA Chairman, Assistant Chief Technician Engineer Wisdom Adenyo and the Area Manager, Ing. George Adune, who assisted the CE to wear the smock and cap amidst clapping and cheering. That was the second time the Tamale Area had presented a traditional northern smock to the CE. The first time was on the CE’s first visit to the Tamale Area in 2022 after he was appointed Chief Executive in 2021.