David Asante, the former Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Publishing Company Limited, has outlined what he describes as unprecedented investment and growth at the company under the New Patriotic Party (NPP) government, insisting that the current administration has no basis to claim credit for the transformation.

Mr Asante said that between 2017 and 2024, the company underwent a comprehensive facelift, including the acquisition of modern printing equipment and the establishment of new production systems.

“In the over 60 years of existence of Ghana Publishing Company Limited, no government has invested as heavily in machinery acquisition and expansion as the NPP did in the last eight years,” he stated.

According to him, the investments enabled GPCL to regain its technical credibility, leading to the restoration of major contracts, including the printing of ballot papers for national elections.

He said the company printed ballot papers for five regions during the 2020 elections under a 24-hour production cycle and also handled printing for the 2024 presidential and parliamentary elections.

“Payments running into millions of cedis were made by the Electoral Commission after the new management had taken over,” he said.

Mr Asante also highlighted the establishment of a Kumasi branch, describing it as the first regional branch in the company’s history.

He said the branch generates millions of Ghana cedis monthly, enough to cover the company’s wage bill. Additionally, he noted that Parliament settled long-standing debts owed to the company following the change in management.

He questioned claims that the company was recently rescued from financial distress, arguing that revenues from outstanding payments and investments exceeded GH¢15 million.

“If the company was in such a bad state financially, the new management could not have afforded to purchase a brand new Toyota Land Cruiser at nearly US$200,000 and a US$20,000 digital machine within four months,” Mr Asante said, insisting that the NPP’s role in GPCL’s turnaround is supported by audited accounts and verifiable records.