The Convention People’s Party (CPP) has called for the protection, revival and proper management of Ghana’s state-owned enterprises as the country marks the 117th birthday of its founder, Dr Kwame Nkrumah.

The party says Nkrumah’s commitment to nationalism, self-reliance and state-led development should inform how Ghana manages its strategic public assets.

In a statement signed by its National Communications Director, Osei Kofi Acquah, the CPP expressed concern about what it described as the deterioration of some state-owned enterprises and the sale of others to politically connected individuals.

The party also opposed the government’s proposed private-sector participation in the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG), describing the arrangement as an attempt to privatise the utility.

The government, however, has maintained that its proposed private-sector participation does not involve the sale or transfer of ownership of ECG. The Energy Ministry has said the initiative is intended to bring private-sector expertise into aspects of the utility’s operations while ownership remains with the state.

The CPP nevertheless insists that strategic state-owned companies can be effectively managed by Ghanaians if they are properly governed.

“It is illogical to believe that a company, factory and state-owned enterprise cannot be properly managed by the over 30 million Ghanaians, but can be managed effectively by single individual(s),” Mr Acquah said.

The party is therefore calling on the government to restore, revamp and maintain state-owned enterprises and companies, arguing that they can contribute to job creation and revenue generation.

The call comes as Ghana marks the 117th anniversary of Dr Nkrumah’s birth on September 21, 2026. Nkrumah, who was born on September 21, 1909, at Nkroful, led the country to independence in 1957 and championed economic independence, industrialisation and Pan-Africanism.

The CPP said the occasion should be used to renew commitment to the principles associated with Nkrumah’s political and economic vision.

“We are therefore on this day calling on government to restore, revamp, maintain and properly manage state-owned enterprises and companies to create employment for the numerous unemployed youth of Ghana as well as generate revenue for government.”

The party’s position comes amid an ongoing national debate over the future of state-owned enterprises and the role of private-sector participation in public utilities.

The State Interests and Governance Authority (SIGA) currently lists ECG among Ghana’s state-owned enterprises and says the company is wholly owned by the Government of Ghana.

The CPP concluded its statement by calling for the preservation of Nkrumah’s legacy of nationalism, patriotism and Pan-Africanism.

“Long live the legacies of Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah. Long live Pan-Africanism. Long live Nationalism and Patriotism. Long live Mother Ghana,” the statement said.