A youth group calling itself Reform for Youth Empowerment (RYE) has condemned recent developments surrounding Prof. Ransford Gyampo, the newly appointed Acting Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Ghana Shippers Authority (GSA).

A press release issued on March 20 and signed by the Executive Secretary of the group, Michael Akorli Kumi, clarified some allegations regarding Prof. Gyampo's purported acquisition of a new official vehicle, a Toyota Land Cruiser, since taking office recently.

According to RYE, the decision to procure the vehicle for the CEO was made by the previous GSA Board, and the process was completed before Prof. Gyampo's appointment. The group claimed to have received this information from the Corporate Affairs Directorate of the GSA.

The press release emphasised that Prof. Gyampo does not have a designated official vehicle and instead uses the Authority’s shared pool of vehicles, occasionally relying on his personal car to fulfil his duties.

"For the record, Prof. Gyampo currently has no designated official vehicle and relies on the Authority’s shared pool of vehicles for official duties. He even sometimes uses his private car to fulfil his responsibilities. Any suggestion that he has taken advantage of state resources for personal gain is completely false and intended to mislead the public."

The statement also rejected allegations that Prof. Gyampo had dismissed 30 workers from the GSA, clarifying that the directive to withdraw staff hired by the previous NPP government came from the Chief of Staff, not from Prof. Gyampo. It was also revealed that only nine staff members were affected, not 30 as falsely reported.

"The allegations that Prof. Gyampo has dismissed 30 workers from the GSA are baseless. The directive to withdraw all personnel engaged after the elections by the NPP government was issued by the Chief of Staff, not by Prof. Gyampo. At GSA, only nine staff members were affected, not 30 as falsely reported."

In response to the claim that Prof. Gyampo had installed massage chairs in his office, the RYE clarified that the viral video showing him using a massage chair was filmed at a hotel gym in Essipong, Takoradi, not in his office, urging anyone with doubts to visit either his office or the hotel in question for confirmation.

"The viral video showing him using a massage chair was not recorded at his office but at a hotel gym in Essipong, Takoradi. Anyone doubting this can verify the facts by visiting either his office or the hotel in question. This is yet another attempt by detractors to discredit his leadership."

The group has alleged that this issue is part of a strategy by the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) to damage the image of the CEO and undermine the new government.

"RYE has gathered reliable information that the NPP is determined to malign Prof. Gyampo due to his consistent criticism of the previous administration, which contributed to their embarrassing defeat in the 2024 elections. This is the obvious reason behind all these attacks."

RYE urged the public to disregard these claims, stating, "We urge the public to disregard these malicious fabrications. Prof. Gyampo remains committed to cost-cutting measures under the Reset Agenda of H.E. John Dramani Mahama and is focused on efficient governance at GSA."

They emphasised that, "He will continue to serve with integrity and dedication to the national interest."