Former Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC), Dr. K.K. Sarpong, has dismissed media claims suggesting that he has expressed interest and readiness to take up a position in President John Dramani Mahama’s government, describing such reports as a misrepresentation of his comments.
Reacting to a news card circulating on social media with the headline “K.K. Sarpong: I’ll accept an offer to work in Mahama’s gov’t”, Dr. Sarpong clarified that he never made such a claim and has not accepted any offer to serve in the Mahama administration.
According to him, his comments made during an interview on Face to Face on Channel One TV with Umaru Sanda Amadu on Tuesday, January 20, were taken out of context and inaccurately framed.
Dr. Sarpong explained that what he said was a general expression of willingness to offer his expertise to the country in an advisory capacity if called upon, stressing that this should not be misconstrued as accepting a government appointment.
“Why not? If I believe I have the expertise, why not?” he said during the interview, referring specifically to the possibility of contributing advice in a manner similar to the Presidential Advisory Group on the Economy (PAGE), and not to accepting a formal role in government.
Dr. K.K. Sarpong explained that he rather offer his willingness to give his expertise to President John Mahama’s administration if requested.
“I was glad I was invited, even though I belong to the other side. It wasn’t just me alone; people came from the NPP stock as well.”
He noted that his participation in the 2025 National Economic Dialogue, where he was invited alongside other experts to share recommendations, was purely in the national interest and not a political alignment with the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC).
Dr. Sarpong, who is affiliated with the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP), rejected suggestions that his involvement in the dialogue amounted to a betrayal of his party.
“They should be crazy. What is the essence of education? It should help us bring development to our people,” he stated, adding that the dialogue involved experts from across the political divide, including individuals with NPP backgrounds.
He emphasized that the invitation to contribute was about national development and economic problem-solving, not partisan politics, and cautioned the media and the public against drawing misleading conclusions from his remarks.
Dr. Sarpong’s clarification comes amid growing debate over bipartisan participation in national policy discussions, with the former GNPC boss insisting that professional contributions to national development should not be distorted into claims of political appointments.