A call for discipline rather than cash injections, dominated a book launch in Accra on Tuesday, July 21, as Mr Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin, Speaker of Parliament, described the r
The report indicates that a call for discipline rather than cash injections, dominated a book launch in Accra on Tuesday, July 21, as Mr Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin, Speaker of Parliament, described the revival of the National Investment Bank (NIB) to sound governance, and not just the mere injection of money.
It further notes that the event celebrated the launch of the autobiography of Chief Dr Doli-Wura Awushi Abdul-Malik Seidu Zakaria, Managing Director of NIB PLC, titled “Rebuilding Confidence, Restoring Strength,” which chronicles his role in the turnaround of the state-owned bank.
Mr Bagbin, the Guest of Honour, stated he accepted the invitation not only to support a close associate but also to celebrate an achiever whose leadership had transformed several state institutions.
He highlighted Dr Zakaria’s contributions to the West Gonja District Assembly, the Land Title Registry, the Accra Metropolitan Assembly, the Controller and Accountant-General’s Department, and the Ministry of Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, as well as his role in reviving NIB.
Addressing distinguished guests, Mr Bagbin, who was the Guest of Honour stated he accepted the role not just to “solidarise with my bosom brother” but to “celebrate success” and identify with “an achiever whose can-do spirit has transformed many state institutions.”
He cited Dr Zakaria’s track record across the West Gonja District Assembly, Land Title Registry, Accra Metropolitan Assembly, Controller and Accountant General’s Department, and Ministry of Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs and his role in resuscitating what he called “a moribund state bank.”
Describing the author as “a man with a Midas touch,” Mr Bagbin commended his commitment to national development and his contribution to healthcare through the establishment of Aisha Hospital in Tamale.
He said, “I watched him build Aisha Hospital in Tamale, not for profit, but to save the lives of families in the north who had been driving the whole length of this country to Accra for care.”
Mr Bagbin noted that Dr Zakaria’s experience in running businesses including M&M Zamar, SAM ZM Company Ltd., Clinton and Boresa Consult Ltd., Excel Links Consult, and Global Dream Hotel taught him key lessons: “That in running an organization, governance comes first… That political risk is real… And that competence is anchored on character.”
“So when the nation doubted whether a man who had never worked in a bank could rescue a drowning national bank, I did not share the doubt for a single moment,” he added, referencing the author’s early hustles as a kerosene seller at age eight and a shoeshine boy.
Launching the book, Mr Bagbin stated Ghana’s slow development was tied to a “dip in the reading and learning culture” and that Dr Zakaria’s book was investing in Ghana’s growth.
“This book is about public trust. It answers the question… can the institutions we build with public money ever serve the public with fidelity and candor?” he asked.
He painted a grim picture of NIB’s state before the intervention: established by Parliament in 1963 to industrialise the nation and financiers of companies like Nestlé Ghana and Aluworks, yet by 2024 had “not published a single set of audited accounts in more than a decade.”
The central lesson, the Speaker said, was for all struggling state enterprises.
