Speaker of Parliament Alban Bagbin has hailed Chief Dr. Doli-Wura Awushi Abdul-Malik Seidu Zakaria for his leadership and remarkable contribution to Ghana’s public and private sectors, describing him as a man with a “Midas touch.”
The Speaker made the remarks as the Special Guest of Honour at the launch of Dr. Doli-Wura’s autobiography, Rebuilding Confidence, Restoring Strength, which chronicles his personal journey, business experiences and leadership at the National Investment Bank (NIB).
He commended Dr. Doli-Wura for his contributions to institutions including 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.
Also read: No more police escort, siren without written approval – Bagbin to MPs
The Speaker also praised the author’s role in helping to revive the National Investment Bank (NIB), describing his leadership as an example of how strong governance and discipline can help rebuild struggling public institutions.
Midas touch
According to Speaker Bagbin, his relationship with Dr. Doli-Wura had grown over the years from friendship into brotherhood.
He recalled witnessing the establishment of Aisha Hospital in Tamale, saying the facility was created not merely for profit but to provide healthcare services to people in northern Ghana who previously had to travel long distances to Accra to access specialised care.
“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 that should have been available at their doorsteps,” he said.
Speaker Bagbin, who serves as Life Patron of Aisha Hospital, said he had also witnessed how Dr. Doli-Wura identified challenges within communities and transformed them into business opportunities that created jobs, generated tax revenue and provided relief to distressed communities.
The author’s experiences in business, he said, had equipped him with valuable lessons in leadership, governance and institutional management.
Speaker Bagbin said Dr. Doli-Wura’s humble beginnings and entrepreneurial journey helped shape his approach to leadership.
He cited the author’s experience as a child who sold kerosene and later worked as a shoeshine boy, arguing that such experiences helped him understand the challenges faced by people at the lower levels of an organisation.
According to him, this background was crucial when Dr. Doli-Wura was appointed to lead the National Investment Bank at a time when the institution faced significant challenges.
“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,” Speaker Bagbin stated.
He said Dr. Doli-Wura’s experience across different businesses had prepared him for the task of leading NIB.
Among the businesses associated with the author are M&M Zamar, SAM ZM Company Ltd., Clinton and Boresa Consult Ltd, Excel Links Consult, Global Dream Hotel and Aisha Hospital.
Speaker Bagbin said the author’s entrepreneurial journey demonstrated several important lessons, including the need to prioritise governance, manage political risk, avoid excessive dependence on a single public contract, maintain focus and recognise that competence must be supported by character.
NIB recovery
Speaking about the autobiography, Speaker Bagbin said the book goes beyond telling the personal story of a successful businessman and public servant.
He described Rebuilding Confidence, Restoring Strength as a book about public trust and institutional accountability, particularly in relation to state-owned enterprises.
The Speaker expressed concern about the declining reading and writing culture in Ghana, arguing that books play an important role in stimulating the mind, broadening horizons and strengthening critical thinking.
Book-writing culture in Ghana, he said, had not developed as strongly as in countries such as Nigeria, Kenya and South Africa.
According to him, the publication of quality books such as Dr. Doli-Wura’s autobiography represents an investment in Ghana’s intellectual development and national progress.
Governance failures at NIB
Speaker Bagbin said the story of NIB presented in the book raises important questions about the ability of public institutions to serve citizens effectively.
He recalled that Parliament established the National Investment Bank in 1963 as the first development finance institution of Ghana’s young republic, with a mandate to support industrialisation and economic development.
He noted that NIB, during its stronger years, played a role in financing businesses including Nestlé Ghana, Aluworks and hotels, and also helped give birth to what is now the Agricultural Development Bank.
However, he said the bank later experienced serious governance and financial challenges.
Speaker Bagbin noted that by 2024, NIB had reportedly gone more than a decade without publishing a set of audited accounts, describing the situation as one of the governance failures that must be addressed in Ghana’s state-owned enterprises.
He argued that the lessons contained in the book should not be viewed as being limited to NIB because several other state institutions face similar challenges.
The Speaker warned that simply injecting money into struggling state institutions without fixing governance weaknesses could lead to further waste of public resources.
He said institutions that are undercapitalised, opaque, demoralised or poorly managed require more than financial support to recover.
According to him, the NIB experience demonstrates that good governance, discipline, accountability and strong institutional leadership must accompany financial recapitalisation.
“Yes, the author received his recapitalisation. But he reckoned that if you pour money into an institution with broken governance, the money only leaks into an unretrievable abyss,” he said.
Speaker Bagbin said what ultimately changed the outcome at NIB was not merely the amount of money invested in the institution but the discipline and governance structures put in place before and alongside the financial support.
He called for leaders of state-owned enterprises to embrace greater transparency and accountability in the management of public resources.
peaker Bagbin said the poor management of resources by some state institutions had contributed to growing cynicism and a loss of confidence in Ghana’s ability to achieve sustainable national development.
However, he said the story of NIB’s recovery offered a message of hope to Ghanaians.
Buy and read the book
He recommended Rebuilding Confidence, Restoring Strength to leaders of state institutions, public servants and young Ghanaians interested in leadership and public-sector transformation.
“If Chief Dr. Doli-Wura’s good leadership could reset NIB, His Excellency John Mahama’s exemplary leadership will certainly transform this country,” Speaker Bagbin said.
He urged members of the public to go beyond admiring the book and make a conscious effort to purchase and read it.
“Please buy it. Read it. Press it into the hands of every young public servant you know,” he added.
Speaker Bagbin congratulated Dr. Doli-Wura, the NIB Board, management and staff, whom he described as the true authors of the bank’s recovery.