by Linda Straker
- Peter Andall’s appointment is contrary to Integrity Commission’s recommendation
- In early August, Afia Joseph, then General Manager, resigned
- New board’s appointment yet to be published in Government Gazette
Henry Joseph, Chairman of the new Board of Directors of the Marketing and National Importing Board (MNIB), confirmed that the terms of reference for his tenure do not include a winding-up or liquidation of the statutory entity.
“Our role is not to wind up the operation. We did not receive such instructions. Our terms of reference do not include that,” Joseph said during an interview. The new board was appointed by the Cabinet in August 2022, but it is yet to be published in the Government Gazette — the official publication of the Government of Grenada where public notices and other government announcements are mandated to be published.
The question about “winding up” the operation of the commodity board was asked, because Prime Minister Dickon Mitchell disclosed during a news conference on Tuesday, 19 July 2022, that the operation of the MNIB costs the Government millions to continue operations. Based on preliminary briefings from the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Finance, consideration was being given to shutting its doors.
“I want to be very clear that based on my preliminary briefing as it pertains to MNIB, we may have to seriously consider ending the life of the MNIB and reconstituting either a new entity or an entity that really was meant to carry out the mandate of the MNIB,” said PM Mitchell.
“We are here to take decisions, sometimes hard decisions. We simply cannot continue kicking the football down the road and expect that you can always come to the Government for bailout, after bailout, after bailout with no turnaround in the fortunes of the entity; with no real plan to achieve the things that the MNIB was meant to do,” he said.
In early August, Afia Joseph, then General Manager, resigned from her post. Peter Andall, who is a member of the Board and has ownership in a supermarket chain, was appointed to act in the position. However, a vacancy notice for the position is yet to be published in the Government Gazette or any other local newspaper or publication methods such as the MNIB Facebook page or the Ministry of Finance website.
Andall’s appointment is contrary to a recommendation from the Integrity Commission that people who serve on the Board should not switch to the management of the Board. That was one of the recommendations from an investigation to identify shortcomings with the statutory board.
Besides Joseph and Andall, the other current members of the MNIB board are former Senator Matthew Joseph, Dimi Joseph, Garvyn Pierre, Matthew Williams, and Bevon Charles. The chairman said that a lawyer and a representative from the Department of Trade will soon join the board. The MNIB legislation states that the Board shall consist of 9 members appointed by the Minister. Each member of the Board shall hold office for a period of 2 years from the date of his or her appointment.