The proposed Independent Public Emoluments Commission (IPEC) is expected to introduce a remuneration framework capable of attracting the skilled professionals needed to strengthen Ghana’s public institutions, Labour, Jobs and Employment Minister Emmanuel Kwadwo Agyekum has said.
Agyekum said the proposed transition from the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission (FWSC) to IPEC forms part of the government’s broader effort to establish a public-sector remuneration system that responds to Ghana’s institutional and economic realities.
He said the effectiveness of public institutions depends partly on their ability to attract people with the skills required to deliver their mandates, making remuneration reform an important component of efforts to strengthen the public sector.
The government is “committed to establishing a remuneration system capable of attracting the talent required to strengthen public institutions,”
The Minister made the remarks during a stakeholder engagement with State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs), where he urged them to contribute their expertise and practical experience to the development of the proposed framework.
Agyekum stressed that IPEC was not intended to strip existing institutions or boards of their powers. Rather, he said, stakeholders should use the reform process to help develop a system that addresses the specific needs of Ghana.
The proposed framework builds on President John Dramani Mahama’s earlier call for a public-sector pay system guided by productivity and labour-market realities, with the government positioning the reform as a way to address pay disparities and recurring labour disputes.
Mahama has said the new commission would provide a more transparent and evidence-driven approach to determining salaries, while ensuring public-sector remuneration remains aligned with market conditions and fiscal sustainability.
The Minister said the proposed transition would be subject to the necessary legal and constitutional processes, while urging SOEs and other stakeholders to provide practical input before the framework is finalised.
