Accra: Dennis Miracles Aboagye, an aide to New Patriotic Party (NPP) flagbearer Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, has criticised the government's communication of the latest State Interests and Governance Authority (SIGA) report, arguing that attempts to portray the performance of state-owned enterprises (SOEs) as a 'historic turnaround' created the controversy now surrounding the figures.
According to Ghana Web, Aboagye expressed his concerns in a post shared on his X page on September 6, 2026. He noted that the issue was not merely the reported performance of the SOEs but the manner in which the government chose to present the results to the public. Historically, SOEs have faced structural and operational challenges, making it essential for governments to focus on sustained improvements rather than highlight a single year's figures as evidence of a significant transformation.
Aboagye criticised the government's decision to promote the reported GHS19.8 billion profit as a 'miracle' performance, stating that this framing triggered public scrutiny and backlash. 'The only reason why the public is discussing in the current context is simply because the government attempted a spin on the report,' he remarked.
He suggested that the government should have allowed the individual performances of the companies to speak for themselves rather than crafting a broad political narrative around the aggregate figure. Aboagye highlighted the profitability of SOEs as not being a new development, referencing the previous SIGA report which recorded 35 profitable SOEs in 2024.
'How do you call 34 SOEs posting profit as historic when the year prior had 35 SOEs posting profit?' he questioned. He emphasized the need for reported profits to demonstrate lasting improvements in the operations of state-owned companies, such as increased production, greater efficiency, job creation, and stronger commercial performance.
Aboagye further critiqued the government's communication strategy, arguing that the headline figure led the public to interpret the reported profit as evidence of improved management and operational efficiency. He stated, 'What we would have done now is that we would have gone into the organisations one by one, and now begin to ask, 'Oh, what have you done differently? This is amazing. What are the issues?''
He also challenged the government's attempt to celebrate figures that, in his view, do not necessarily demonstrate operational efficiency. Aboagye urged for more measured and transparent communication, especially as the public grows increasingly interested in how SOEs generate their reported profits. 'Government needs to learn to be a bit more honest with its communications, focus on the facts, reduce the spin and propaganda,' he advised.
Aboagye attributed the controversy to the government's own communication strategy. 'You caused your PR mess; stop blaming anyone,' he said, acknowledging that while the reported performance is respectable, labeling it as a historic or miraculous turnaround was an unnecessary PR gamble that invited scrutiny and weakened the government's message. 'The consistent facade, PR gimmick, is gradually beginning to fall,' he concluded.
His comments follow the 2025 SIGA report indicating that state-owned enterprises recorded a consolidated net profit of GHS19.8 billion, compared with a loss of about GHS2.25 billion in 2024.