Chief Executive of the Ghana Chamber of Mines, Ing. Kenneth Ashigbey, has dismissed claims that his appointment was politically motivated, stressing that competence and national service, not partisanship, define his career.
Ken Ashigbey, speaking on Business Edge with Kwasi Afriyie on Metro TV on Thursday, October 30, said it was “painful” that some Ghanaians assume every high-level appointment is based on political loyalty rather than merit.
“The pain for me in all of that is not about my appointment. It’s this whole rhetoric that when it comes to the issues of appointing people to run this country, it has to be people who are partisan,” he said.
“It cannot be said that the brains we have in this country are only in one political party.”
Ken Ashigbey, who has served under different administrations, explained that his move from the telecommunications industry to the mining sector was purely professional, not political.
“When they came calling, I thought this was a good opportunity. For me, in terms of my call to national duty, this was another way to serve,” he said.
He argued that Ghana must move away from the belief that only party-affiliated individuals are qualified to hold leadership positions.
“We should not think that the only people who can help govern are those who belong to the ruling class,” he noted.
“Those of us who don’t belong to any party also have a role to play when it comes to governance.”
He added that the current system, where political loyalty often outweighs competence, is part of why Ghana struggles with development.
“The reason we are where we are as a country is because most of those appointed see it as a thank-you job,” he said.
“They go and sit there, and their contribution is nowhere. Meanwhile, there are many others, even within the ruling government, who could do a better job but don’t belong to the right faction,” he noted.
He called for a stronger focus on meritocracy and urged political leaders to consider qualified Ghanaians from all backgrounds, regardless of their party affiliation.
“We should let meritocracy be the reason why you are appointed,” he stressed.
“Everybody who’s Ghanaian, once you can serve and contribute, should be brought in.”
The Chamber of Mines boss also pointed out that his previous roles, including his tenure as Managing Director of the Graphic Communications Group and CEO of the Chamber of Telecommunications, were all based on professional capacity, not political ties.
“Even when I worked at Graphic, it wasn’t a political appointment. It was done through the National Media Commission. The President was only consulted. it wasn’t his appointment,” he explained.
Ken Ashigbey said he has worked under both NDC and NPP governments and maintained a consistent record of professionalism.
“I was appointed under President Atta Mills and continued under President Akufo-Addo. So for me, it’s about the work, not the politics,” he said.
The former journalist and engineer believes Ghana’s public sector will function better if appointments are made based on skill and integrity rather than political connections.
“We need to change the rhetoric,” he said firmly.
“You don’t need to belong to a ruling party before you can serve your country.”
