By Senator Suleman Nabie-Ikyei
The recent ministerial reshuffle has triggered renewed public discussion over the decision by President John Dramani Mahama to move Dr. Rashid Pelpuo from the Ministry of Labour, Jobs and Employment to a non-Cabinet portfolio.
While the President has the constitutional authority to appoint and reshuffle ministers, the decision has generated particular concern in parts of the Upper West Region, with some commentators interpreting Pelpuo’s reassignment as an indication that he underperformed at the Labour Ministry.
Such a conclusion, however, may require a closer examination of the record of his approximately 18 months in office.
Dr. Pelpuo, like every public official, is subject to scrutiny, and his tenure should not be presented as flawless. However, assessing his performance solely on the basis of his removal from a ministry risks overlooking a number of policies, partnerships and institutional interventions pursued during his tenure.
A closer look at the period points to initiatives covering youth employment, skills development, labour migration, workplace safety, industrial relations, digital employment services, institutional strengthening and workers’ welfare.
A ministry with limited control over job-creation agencies
One important consideration in assessing Pelpuo’s tenure is the institutional structure within which the Ministry of Labour, Jobs and Employment operated.
By the time he assumed office, several institutions traditionally associated with employment creation, youth development and social protection had been realigned under other ministries as part of the government’s restructuring.
These included the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT), the National Pensions Regulatory Authority (NPRA), the Youth Employment Authority (YEA), the National Youth Authority (NYA) and the National Entrepreneurship and Innovation Programme (NEIP).
The restructuring meant the Labour Ministry had fewer of the traditional institutional instruments through which it could directly implement large-scale employment programmes.
This was also coupled with budgetary constraints and heightened public expectations of a ministry whose mandate includes employment promotion, labour administration and the protection of workers’ interests.
Against that backdrop, several initiatives associated with Pelpuo’s tenure have emerged.
US$82m German grant for youth employment
One of the major initiatives attributed to Pelpuo was his engagement with international partners and the private sector to mobilise resources for youth employment.
According to the account, a German investor committed approximately US$82 million in grant financing towards a programme aimed at training young people in various skills and providing start-up support to enable beneficiaries to establish businesses.
The programme was expected to benefit young people across the country and was scheduled to commence in September.
If successfully implemented, the initiative could create an alternative pathway for young people who face difficulties securing formal employment by combining skills training with support for entrepreneurship.
US$50m grant for skills-training university
The Ministry also reportedly mobilised another US$50 million grant towards the establishment of a skills-training university in Ghana.
The proposed institution is expected to focus on practical vocational and technical training, with the aim of equipping young people with marketable skills that can support self-employment and entrepreneurship.
The initiative reflects an approach to unemployment that places greater emphasis on skills acquisition and enterprise creation rather than relying solely on government employment.
At a time when graduate unemployment remains a major national concern, proponents of such interventions argue that strengthening practical skills can improve employability while creating opportunities for young people to establish their own businesses.
Reviving the Management Development and Productivity Institute
The Management Development and Productivity Institute (MDPI) was another institution that reportedly received significant attention during Pelpuo’s tenure.
MDPI has operated for decades as a training and capacity-building institution serving public-sector organisations, private businesses and other stakeholders.
According to the institution’s leadership, including its Director, Professor Elijah Yendaw, support from the Ministry contributed to efforts to strengthen the institute.
Among the developments cited were the acquisition of a new office complex, efforts to reclaim more than 20 hectares of land reportedly affected by encroachment, greater visibility for the institution and moves to amend the legislation governing its operations.
The interventions are significant because an effective productivity and management institution can contribute to improving organisational efficiency and strengthening the capacity of Ghana’s workforce.
Factories Inspectorate receives attention
The Department of Factories Inspectorate (DFI), which is responsible for promoting safe and healthy working environments and ensuring compliance with occupational safety standards, also reportedly benefited from institutional interventions.
The department acquired a new office complex and established regional task forces aimed at strengthening workplace safety compliance.
The department also recorded a substantial increase in revenue mobilisation, with the figure reportedly rising by about 600 percent in 2025.
It is further projected to generate more than GH¢200 million by the end of 2026.
Beyond the revenue figures, the development points to attempts to strengthen the institutional capacity of the department to enforce occupational health and safety standards.
Labour export opens international opportunities
Another initiative associated with the Ministry was its collaboration with the Youth Employment Authority on labour-export programmes.
According to the account, the initiative helped facilitate employment opportunities abroad for more than 1,000 Ghanaian workers.
For a country dealing with unemployment and underemployment, regulated labour migration can provide additional opportunities for qualified Ghanaians while creating a structured mechanism for accessing international employment.
The objective, therefore, is not simply to export labour but to establish legitimate and regulated pathways through which Ghanaian workers can secure decent jobs outside the country.
Ghana Labour Market Information System
The establishment of the Ghana Labour Market Information System (GLMIS) was another notable development during the period.
The digital platform is intended to improve the connection between employers and jobseekers by providing access to employment opportunities and enabling employers to identify potential candidates.
Such a system can help address one of the longstanding challenges in Ghana’s labour market: the information gap between people seeking jobs and employers seeking workers.
As recruitment increasingly becomes digitised, platforms capable of bringing both sides of the labour market together have become increasingly important.
Reducing industrial disruptions
Perhaps one of the least visible but economically significant aspects of the Labour Ministry’s work is industrial relations.
The Ministry plays a central role in facilitating dialogue between government, employers and organised labour, particularly when disputes threaten to result in industrial action.
Figures cited in the account indicate that Ghana recorded eight strikes and industrial actions in 2025 and three in 2026, compared with more than 22 in 2024.
The figures are significant because industrial action can disrupt public services, reduce productivity and impose substantial costs on the state and the wider economy.
Figures attributed to the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission indicate that industrial actions in 2024 cost government approximately GH¢1.47 billion.
Against that background, successful negotiations that prevent disputes from escalating can have considerable economic value, even though such achievements may not always attract the same public attention as new programmes or policy announcements.
Partnership to create jobs through agriculture
The Ministry also reportedly signed a Memorandum of Understanding with a Swiss investor towards establishing agricultural farms aimed at creating employment opportunities for young people.
Land has reportedly been secured in the Eastern Region, with implementation expected to commence soon.
The initiative forms part of efforts to position agriculture not only as a source of food production but also as a platform for employment, entrepreneurship and wealth creation.
If implemented effectively, such investments could create opportunities along the agricultural value chain, particularly for young people.
Minimum wage and workers’ welfare
Workers’ welfare also featured prominently during the period.
The Ministry participated in negotiations through the National Tripartite Committee that resulted in a nine percent adjustment in the national daily minimum wage.
The agreement represented an attempt to balance workers’ demands for improved incomes with the fiscal limitations confronting government and employers.
At the same time, work continued towards the establishment of an Independent Emoluments Commission, with legislation reportedly under consideration to provide a new framework for addressing wage disparities and distortions within the public sector.
Such negotiations are often complex, requiring compromises between government, employers and organised labour.
Strengthening the Labour Ministry and its agencies
There are also indications that the Ministry’s budgetary allocation increased significantly during the period.
Staff and agencies under the Ministry have reportedly credited improved funding with enabling them to perform their statutory functions more effectively.
The Labour Commission, for instance, has indicated that increased resources contributed to its ability to carry out its mandate.
Other initiatives included the establishment of an Annual National Labour Conference and interventions to address child labour, particularly in cocoa-growing communities.
Taken together, these interventions point to efforts not only to create employment opportunities but also to strengthen the institutions responsible for managing Ghana’s labour market.
Beyond the reshuffle
None of these developments suggests that Pelpuo’s tenure was without challenges.
Public officials must remain open to scrutiny, and the success of any government initiative ultimately depends on implementation and measurable outcomes.
However, the available record challenges a simplistic interpretation that Pelpuo’s movement from the Labour Ministry necessarily amounted to a verdict of failure.
His tenure appears to have focused substantially on partnerships, institutional strengthening and resource mobilisation—areas that do not always generate immediate headlines.
The approximately 18 months produced initiatives spanning international investment, skills training, labour migration, digital employment services, occupational safety, industrial relations, wage negotiations, agriculture and institutional development.
Whether all the initiatives will achieve their intended long-term results remains to be seen.
What is clear, however, is that there was considerable policy activity and institutional engagement during the period.
The Upper West representation question
Beyond Pelpuo himself, the reshuffle has also raised a broader question about the representation of the Upper West Region at the highest level of executive decision-making.
The region, following the reshuffle, no longer has a Cabinet Minister, a development that has understandably generated concern among some residents and stakeholders.
Some have argued that the region remains adequately represented because the Speaker of Parliament comes from the Upper West Region.
That argument, however, does not entirely resolve the issue.
The Speaker is elected by Parliament and is not a presidential appointee. More importantly, the Speaker does not sit in Cabinet and therefore does not participate in Cabinet deliberations in the same capacity as a Cabinet Minister.
The concern is consequently not necessarily about the political fortunes of one individual.
Rather, it is about whether the Upper West Region continues to have direct representation at the highest level of executive decision-making.
Historically, the region has produced individuals who have occupied important positions in government.
During the Rawlings administration, figures including Iddrisu Mahama and Edward Salia served in senior government positions.
Under the administration of President John Evans Atta Mills, the region was represented in Cabinet by figures including Alban Bagbin, Joseph Yieleh Chireh and Benjamin Kunbuor.
The region’s history therefore demonstrates that it possesses the human capital and leadership capacity to contribute meaningfully to national governance.
The defence of Pelpuo’s record should not be interpreted as an appeal for public sympathy or as a call on President Mahama to reverse his decision.
The President has the constitutional authority to appoint and reshuffle ministers, and that authority must be respected.
Rather, the argument is that political decisions should not automatically be interpreted as evidence of individual failure.
Pelpuo has experienced changes in political fortunes before.
In 2013, he was reportedly considered for the position of Minister of Health before the appointment was changed shortly before the announcement. He was subsequently announced as Minister of Tourism, only for that appointment to be altered within 24 hours.
His latest reassignment is therefore not necessarily an unfamiliar experience.
What has remained notable, according to the account, is his relatively calm response to political changes.
Perhaps, therefore, the immediate political noise surrounding the reshuffle should give way to a more objective assessment of what was done during his tenure.
The question should not simply be why Dr. Rashid Pelpuo was reshuffled.
A more useful question is: what did he do while he was at the Labour Ministry?
On that question, his record deserves to be examined on the basis of policies pursued, partnerships established, institutions strengthened and outcomes delivered—not merely by the position he holds after the reshuffle.
Sometimes, when the noise dies down, the facts can finally be heard.
