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The ongoing orientation of the Governing Board of the National Ambulance Service (NAS) took a strategic turn today, with Board members engaging with three critical dimensions of effective governance: understanding the rules that guide procurement, gaining deeper insight into the organisation they oversee, and developing the leadership competencies required to provide effective oversight.
The sessions formed part of the four-day Governing Board orientation programme, designed to equip members with the knowledge and perspective required to effectively discharge their governance, fiduciary, strategic and oversight responsibilities.
The day began with an Overview of the Public Procurement (Amendment) Act, facilitated by the Director of Procurement at the Ministry of Health, Dr. Edward B. Agyekum.
The session provided Board members with an important grounding in the public procurement framework and its relevance to institutional governance, accountability and responsible stewardship of public resources. Understanding the procurement environment is particularly important for a public institution such as NAS, where strategic decisions must be aligned with established laws, regulations and procedures.
From the regulatory framework, attention shifted to the institution itself as Dr. Simon A. Nyaaba took Board members through a session on Understanding the National Ambulance Service.
The session offered an opportunity for members to deepen their appreciation of NAS, its mandate, operations and institutional realities. It reinforced the importance of understanding the organisation from the inside in order to provide oversight that is informed, strategic and responsive to its operational needs.
For a Governing Board, effective oversight goes beyond policies and reports. It requires a clear understanding of the institution’s mandate, the environment in which it operates and the realities confronting the organisation in fulfilling its responsibilities.
The final session of the day brought the focus to the human side of leadership, with Rev. Dr. Bernie Osei-Duah facilitating a session on Leadership and Emotional Intelligence.
The session explored the role of emotional intelligence and effective leadership in shaping relationships, communication, decision-making and institutional effectiveness- competencies that are essential for leaders entrusted with providing strategic direction and oversight.
Taken together, today’s sessions reinforced a fundamental principle of effective governance: leaders must understand the rules, understand the institution and understand the people.
For NAS, the orientation therefore represents more than a formal induction exercise. It is an intentional investment in strengthening the governance capacity of the Service and ensuring that the Governing Board is equipped to provide the strategic leadership, oversight and accountability required to support the continued advancement of emergency medical services in Ghana.
As the orientation progresses, the Governing Board is being positioned not only to understand its responsibilities, but also to bring those responsibilities to bear in ways that support institutional growth, sound decision-making, accountability and improved service delivery.
