Ghana Projects Labour Mobility as Strategic Tool for Jobs and Economic Growth
The Minister for Labour, Jobs and Employment, Dr Abdul-Rashid Pelpuo, has projected labour mobility as a tool for job creation, skills development, and economic growth.
Speaking at the opening of the two-day Ghana Labour Mobility Dialogue at the Lancaster Hotel in Accra, the Minister said global labour markets are facing shortages in key sectors. These include healthcare, construction, education, ICT, and maritime services.
He noted that Ghana’s youthful and skilled workforce is well-positioned to take advantage of these opportunities.
Dr Pelpuo stressed that the focus should now be on creating safe, structured, and rights-based systems that enable Ghanaians to access jobs abroad. He said such systems must also support Ghana’s national development goals.
The Minister stated that the Ministry of Labour, Jobs and Employment remains the lead institution responsible for labour migration governance in Ghana.
He explained that the Cabinet has directed that all labour migration initiatives, including Bilateral Labour Agreements (BLAs), be coordinated through the Ministry with support from relevant stakeholders.
According to him, the Government has already signed several Bilateral Labour Agreements and Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) with partner countries.
These arrangements are intended to facilitate decent employment opportunities for Ghanaians abroad.
He added that the Ministry is strengthening labour migration governance through policy, legal, and institutional reforms.
Dr Pelpuo announced that the Ministry will soon organise capacity-building workshops for key stakeholders.
The workshops will focus on the Government’s new labour migration policy direction and the implementation of the Ghana Labour Exchange Programme.
He said the dialogue will focus on three key areas.
These are the identification of priority sectors for labour mobility, the review of bilateral labour arrangements, and the strengthening of institutional systems for implementation and accountability.
The Minister expressed confidence that the dialogue would produce practical recommendations to guide Ghana’s labour mobility agenda.
“Together, we can position Ghana as a credible and reliable partner in global labour mobility systems,” he stated before officially declaring the dialogue open.
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