Low manufacturing productivity and limited opportunities in higher-productivity sectors have long constrained Ghana’s efforts to generate better jobs and accelerate economic transformation, according to the World Bank’s Ghana Rising: Accelerating Economic Transformation and Creating Jobs report.
The report highlights the need to expand productive industries and improve workers’ movement into sectors capable of generating higher incomes and better employment opportunities.
Addressing these challenges, the Ministry of Labour, Jobs and Employment and the International Labour Organisation (ILO) are strengthening cooperation on skills development, productivity and workers’ rights, with practical technical training emerging as a priority.
At a meeting with the ILO Country Director for Ghana, Nigeria, Sierra Leone and Liberia, Dr Vanessa F. Phala, Labour Minister Emmanuel Kwadwo Agyekum stressed the importance of equipping workers with skills relevant to emerging economic opportunities, particularly in renewable energy, agriculture and fabrication.
“Skill development to me is very key,” Mr Agyekum said, calling for greater attention to practical training to address the country’s employment challenges.
The discussions focused on priorities under the Decent Work Country Programme 2026–2030, through which the ILO intends to support Ghana in employment policy, labour market governance, occupational safety and health, labour legislation and productivity.
Dr Phala also highlighted ILO-supported initiatives, including the EU-Ghana Pact for Skills, Productivity Ecosystems for Decent Work, Jobs and Agriculture, and ACCEL Africa, which seeks to eliminate child labour from selected supply chains.
The focus on productivity also reflects the need to help businesses improve efficiency and expand their capacity to create jobs. Through its Productivity Ecosystems programme, the ILO seeks to address barriers to business growth while promoting skills development and better working conditions.
The partnership will also address employment conditions and worker protection. Mr Agyekum called for stronger collaboration on labour migration and fair recruitment, stressing that migrant workers must be treated with dignity and protected from exploitative practices.
He also reaffirmed the government’s commitment to eliminating child labour and called for stronger occupational safety measures, including basic life-support training in workplaces.
