Accra: Dr Esther Ofei-Aboagye, a local governance expert, has called on institutions to fulfill their duties with integrity and fairness to foster trust in the governance of the country. She emphasized the importance of merit-based advancement during a lecture in Accra.
According to Ghana News Agency, the lecture was hosted by the Institute of Work, Employment and Society (IWES) at the University of Professional Studies, Accra, and supported by the Star Ghana Foundation in observance of International Workers Day. The event embraced the theme: 'Decent Work, Real Recognition: Rising by Merit.'
Dr Ofei-Aboagye highlighted the nation's vision for every citizen to work with dignity, receive fair recognition, and advance based on merit. She noted that when individuals are aware that their efforts will be rewarded and their integrity acknowledged, they are motivated to excel, take pride in their work, and contribute positively to their well-being and the nation.
She stressed that the nation must transition from entitlement to effort, patronage to fairness, silence to recognition, exclusion to opportunity, and cynicism to collective responsibility. Operationalizing decent work, meaningful recognition, and credible merit systems, she stated, is a shared responsibility.
Dr Ofei-Aboagye urged the government to lead through policy, regulation, oversight, and enforcement to ensure compliance with labor standards, strengthen inspections, and maintain transparent recruitment processes. Additionally, she called for expanded social protection interventions and investments in technical and digital skills to create job opportunities.
She also urged employers to provide safe workplaces, credible recognition systems, and reward integrity. Employers should adopt transparent human resource systems that are gender-sensitive and socially inclusive.
Dr Ofei-Aboagye emphasized that every Ghanaian deserves decent work, real recognition, and the opportunity to advance by merit, grounded in equitable opportunities. She referenced various legislations, including Ghana's Domestic Violence Act, the Affirmative Action (Gender Equity) Act, and the Social Protection Act, which provide a legal foundation for safeguarding equity and decent work.
Dr Erika Mamley Osae, Acting Director of IWES, remarked that ensuring decent work strengthens the quality of human capital for national development. She noted a gap between effort and reward, contribution and recognition, urging immediate attention to rectify the situation. The theme, she said, would provoke critical reflections on societal reward systems favoring performance over favoritism.