The Minister of Labour, Employment and Job Creation, Emmanuel Kwadwo Agyekum, says the government will focus on expanding local production and strengthening collaboration with organised labour as part of efforts to reduce unemployment in Ghana.
Mr Agyekum said the country could create significantly more jobs by developing its capacity to produce goods that were currently imported and by identifying employment opportunities across key sectors of the economy.
He made the remarks when he paid a courtesy visit to the Trades Union Congress (TUC) in Accra, where he held discussions with its leadership on job creation, workers’ welfare, productivity, social dialogue and other labour-related matters.
According to the Minister, Ghana did not have to develop entirely new solutions to its unemployment challenge, as other countries had successfully leveraged technology, industrialisation and value-chain development to generate employment.
“I strongly believe that, as a government, we have what it takes to reduce unemployment in this country,” he said.
Mr Agyekum noted that almost every product consumed in Ghana could provide an opportunity for local manufacturing, enterprise development and job creation if deliberate efforts were made to build domestic production capacity.
He said his Ministry would therefore work to identify sectors with the potential to generate decent and sustainable employment for Ghanaians.
Government assures TUC of stronger engagement
The Minister also assured organised labour that the government would deepen its engagement with the TUC and would not take decisions aimed at weakening the labour movement.
He said sustained dialogue among government, employers and workers was essential to maintaining industrial peace while improving productivity and strengthening the economy.
Mr Agyekum said concerns raised by the TUC on wages, pensions and other aspects of workers’ welfare would be addressed through dialogue and efforts to find practical solutions.
He, however, stressed the need to balance improvements in workers’ welfare with measures to assess and enhance productivity.
Focus on employment of persons with disabilities
The Minister further pledged to address concerns over the employment of Persons with Disabilities (PwDs), particularly within the public sector.
He said he would engage the Minister of Education to explore the possibility of including qualified PwDs in teacher recruitment exercises.
The commitment followed concerns from the TUC over the failure to meet the government’s commitment to reserve a proportion of public-sector employment opportunities for persons with disabilities.
Mr Agyekum asked the TUC to submit a list of qualified PwDs who could benefit from the recruitment exercise to enable the government to assess the situation and determine appropriate interventions.
He also pledged to advocate for the introduction of a quota for PwDs in employment and other relevant government programmes.
TUC demands stronger labour protections
For its part, the TUC called for stronger social dialogue between the government and organised labour, particularly at the sectoral level.
The Congress said sectoral social dialogue was not adequately recognised in law and practice, making it difficult for organised labour to engage some public institutions on matters affecting workers.
It urged the Minister to ensure that ministries and government agencies treated organised labour as partners in policy discussions rather than merely as subordinates.
The TUC also raised concerns about conditions in the mining sector, including employment protection, occupational health and safety and the implementation of local content policies.
It cautioned that local content requirements should not be used to facilitate the exploitation or abuse of workers and called for stronger enforcement of labour laws.
The Congress further appealed for the ratification of outstanding International Labour Organisation conventions, including Convention 183 on maternity protection, Convention 190 on violence and harassment, and the convention on decent work in the platform economy.
It also called for renewed discussions on replacing the existing minimum wage framework with a living wage that reflects workers’ actual cost of living and prevailing economic conditions.
Mr Agyekum said the government was prepared to engage organised labour on the living wage proposal and other concerns, stressing that his Ministry would continue working with the TUC to promote decent work, job creation, productivity and industrial harmony.
