Author: Senator Suleman Nabie-Ikyei
Beyond the Reshuffle: A Look at the Policies, Partnerships and Initiatives Left Behind
In the aftermath of the recent ministerial reshuffle, considerable public debate has followed the decision 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 as he deems appropriate, the development has generated questions, particularly among sections of the public in the Upper West Region. Some commentaries have also suggested that Dr. Pelpuo’s removal from the Labour Ministry was a reflection of underperformance.
That conclusion, however, deserves closer examination.
Dr. Pelpuo may not be perfect, and like every public official, his tenure can and should be subjected to legitimate scrutiny. But a fair assessment of his approximately one year and six months at the Ministry of Labour, Jobs and Employment should be based on what was actually achieved under his watch—not merely on the fact that he has been reshuffled.
There is also an important context to his tenure that is often missing from the public discussion.
A Ministry With Limited Direct Control Over Job-Creation Agencies
When Dr. Pelpuo assumed responsibility for the Ministry, several institutions traditionally associated with employment creation and youth development had already 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).
This significantly affected the Ministry’s direct institutional leverage over employment creation.
The Ministry was therefore operating with fewer of the traditional agencies and instruments required to directly drive large-scale employment interventions. This was compounded by relatively constrained budgetary resources compared with the enormous expectations placed on a ministry whose mandate includes labour administration, employment promotion and worker welfare.
Against this background, the record of the Ministry under Dr. Pelpuo is worth examining.
$82 Million German Grant for Youth Employment
One of the notable initiatives attributed to the Minister was his engagement with the private sector and international partners to mobilise resources for youth employment.
Through these efforts, a German investor committed approximately US$82 million in grant financing toward a programme designed to train young people in various skills and provide start-up support to enable beneficiaries establish businesses.
The programme was intended to benefit young people across the regions and was expected to commence in September.
If successfully implemented, such an intervention could provide an important pathway for young people who may otherwise struggle to find formal employment.
$50 Million Grant for Skills Training University
Another significant initiative was the mobilisation of an additional US$50 million grant towards the establishment of a skills-training university in Ghana.
The proposed institution is intended to provide practical vocational and technical training to young people, equipping them with skills that can lead to self-employment and entrepreneurship.
At a time when graduate unemployment remains a major national concern, the emphasis on skills development represents an alternative approach to the traditional expectation that government must provide direct employment.
The underlying philosophy is straightforward: equip young people with marketable skills and the capacity to create their own livelihoods.
Reviving the Management Development and Productivity Institute
Another area where the Ministry made interventions was the Management Development and Productivity Institute (MDPI).
The institution, which has existed for decades, provides training and capacity-building services to public institutions, private-sector organisations and other stakeholders.
According to the leadership of the institution, including its Director, Professor Elijah Yendaw, the Ministry under Dr. Pelpuo provided support that enabled MDPI to strengthen its operations.
Among the developments cited are the acquisition of a new office complex, efforts to reclaim more than 20 hectares of land reportedly affected by encroachment, increased visibility of the institution and ongoing efforts to amend the legislation governing its operations.
These interventions are significant because institutions such as MDPI play an important role in improving productivity and strengthening the capacity of Ghana’s workforce.
Strengthening the Factories Inspectorate
The Department of Factories Inspectorate (DFI) was another institution that received attention during the period.
The Department is responsible for promoting safe and healthy working environments and ensuring compliance with occupational safety standards.
Under the Ministry’s direction, the Department reportedly acquired a new office complex and established regional task forces to improve workplace safety compliance.
The Department also recorded a substantial increase in revenue mobilisation, reportedly achieving about a 600 percent increase in 2025, with projections of generating more than GH¢200 million by the end of 2026.
Such outcomes do not occur automatically. They require institutional reforms, enforcement and deliberate policy direction.
Labour Export and New Opportunities for Ghanaian Workers
The Ministry also collaborated with the Youth Employment Authority on a labour-export initiative that facilitated employment opportunities for more than 1,000 Ghanaian workers abroad.
For a country grappling with domestic unemployment and underemployment, opening legitimate international labour pathways can provide additional opportunities for skilled and employable Ghanaians.
The objective is not simply to export labour, but to create structured and regulated pathways through which Ghanaians can access decent employment opportunities outside the country.
Ghana Labour Market Information System
Another major development was the establishment of the Ghana Labour Market Information System (GLMIS).
The platform is intended to improve the connection between jobseekers and employers by providing access to employment opportunities and helping employers identify suitable candidates.
In an increasingly digital labour market, such systems are essential to reducing information gaps between employers and potential employees.
Reducing Industrial Disruptions
Perhaps one of the less visible but economically important aspects of the Ministry’s work was industrial relations.
The Ministry has responsibility for facilitating dialogue among government, employers and organised labour and helping to prevent industrial disputes from escalating.
According to figures cited by the author, Ghana recorded eight strikes and industrial actions in 2025 and three in 2026, compared with more than 22 recorded in 2024.
The significance goes beyond the numbers.
Industrial action can disrupt public services, affect productivity and impose significant costs on the economy. Figures attributed to the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission indicate that industrial actions in 2024 cost government approximately GH¢1.47 billion.
The ability to resolve disputes quickly and prevent threatened actions from escalating therefore has substantial economic value.
Partnership to Promote Youth Employment in Agriculture
The Ministry also 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 aligns with the broader objective of using agriculture not merely as a subsistence activity but as a viable source of employment, enterprise and economic opportunity for Ghanaian youth.
Wage Negotiations and Workers’ Welfare
On workers’ welfare, the Ministry played a role in the National Tripartite Committee’s negotiations that resulted in a 9 percent adjustment in the national daily minimum wage.
The agreement represented an attempt to balance workers’ demands for improved remuneration with the government’s fiscal constraints.
At the same time, work continued towards establishing the Independent Emoluments Commission, with legislation reportedly under consideration to provide a new framework for addressing wage disparities and distortions within the public sector.
These negotiations are often difficult and politically sensitive. Reaching agreements between government, employers and organised labour requires considerable engagement and compromise.
Strengthening the 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 increased funding with enabling them to discharge their statutory mandates more effectively.
The Labour Commission, for instance, has indicated that improved resource availability contributed to its ability to undertake its work more effectively.
The establishment of an Annual National Labour Conference and interventions aimed at tackling child labour, particularly within cocoa-growing communities, further formed part of the Ministry’s efforts during the period.
The Bigger Picture
The record presented above does not suggest that everything was perfect at the Ministry. No government ministry is without challenges, and no minister should be beyond scrutiny.
But it does suggest that the argument that Dr. Pelpuo was simply removed because he failed to perform requires a more nuanced examination.
His approach was, perhaps, less about constantly announcing processes and more about pursuing partnerships, securing resources and working quietly towards measurable outcomes.
That approach may not always generate the loudest headlines.
But public administration should ultimately be judged by outcomes.
The approximately 18 months at the Ministry produced initiatives spanning international investment, skills development, labour migration, digital employment services, workplace safety, industrial relations, wage negotiations, institutional strengthening and youth employment.
Whether all these initiatives will achieve their intended long-term outcomes is another question—and one that should be answered through implementation and measurable results.
But the initiatives themselves demonstrate that there was activity, innovation and policy engagement during his tenure.
The Upper West Question
Beyond Dr. Pelpuo himself, however, there is another issue that deserves attention: the representation of the Upper West Region at the highest level of government decision-making.
The recent reshuffle means that the region no longer has a Cabinet Minister, and this has understandably generated concern among some residents and stakeholders.
The argument that the Upper West Region is represented through the Speaker of Parliament does not entirely resolve the concern.
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.
If regional representation in Cabinet were considered unnecessary because a region has another influential national officeholder, the same logic could be applied to regions represented by the President or Vice-President.
That clearly would not be a sufficient basis for determining Cabinet representation.
The concern, therefore, is not necessarily about one individual.
It is about whether the Upper West Region continues to have a voice at the highest executive decision-making table.
Historically, the region has produced individuals who have served at the highest levels of government. During the Rawlings administration, figures such as 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 prominent figures including Alban Bagbin, Joseph Yieleh Chireh and Benjamin Kunbuor.
The region has demonstrated repeatedly that it has the human capital and leadership capacity to contribute meaningfully to national governance.
Beyond the Noise
This intervention is not an appeal for public sympathy for Dr. Rashid Pelpuo, nor is it an attempt to persuade President John Dramani Mahama to reverse his decision.
The President has the constitutional authority to appoint and reshuffle ministers, and that authority must be respected.
Rather, this is an attempt to place facts before the public.
Dr. 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.
He has therefore seen political uncertainty before.
His response, characteristically, has been one of calm.
Perhaps that is why the time has come for the noise to settle and for the record to speak for itself.
The question should not simply be why Dr. Rashid Pelpuo was reshuffled.
The more useful question is: what did he do while he was there?
And on that question, the record deserves a fair hearing.
Sometimes, when the noise dies down, the facts can finally be heard.
By Senator Suleman Nabie-Ikyei
