The Director-General of State Interests and Governance Authority (SIGA), Michael Kpessa-Whyte, has warned State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs) against paying bonuses to staff when they are making losses.
Speaking at the 2026 SIGA Stakeholders’ Conference in Accra, he explained that SIGA closely monitors how these companies manage their funds, making it is easy to detect when something is wrong.
He stressed that it does not make sense for a company to lose money and still reward itself with bonuses.
According to him, if a company cannot make a profit at the end of the year but still pays bonuses, it means they have gone against official rules.
He described this behaviour as unreasonable and said no private business would operate that way.
He also clarified that SIGA is not against bonuses completely.
However, bonuses must be based on clear performance targets agreed upon in advance.
Prof. Kpessa-Whyte also supported the Ministry of Finance’s recent directive to stop unauthorised board allowances and improper bonus payments immediately.
He said enforcing these rules will help SIGA do its job better in protecting public funds.
This is part of a wider effort to improve accountability, discipline, and good management across Ghana’s SOEs.
It also comes at a time when many Ghanaians are concerned about reports of financial irregularities in the sector.
