Labour expert Austin Gamey has urged the government to fully implement the Labour Law into Legislative Instrument (LI) 1833, emphasizing its potential to transform employment statistics and job creation in Ghana.
Speaking on Prime News on ABC News GH on Monday, February 10, Gamey stressed the need for urgent action on labour reforms.
“It’s a good reminder by Kojo Nkrumah,” Gamey said, referring to the call made by Ofoase Ayirebi MP Kojo Oppong Nkrumah for the establishment of an independent labour statistics office. “And when it is implemented, it will give a real signal as to what should be done and not to be done.”
Gamey lamented the longstanding issue of tracking labour statistics, describing it as a “waste of time” due to the failure to enforce existing laws.
“It has been in the Labour Law since 2003. The Labour Law clearly should be given a push into LI 1833, which was not properly done. We have talked about it, and it’s part of the plan to do it,” he stated.
According to him, the full implementation of LI 1833 would not only improve labour statistics but also create immediate employment opportunities and drive the informal sector into the formal economy.
“It’s just timely that if the President and the ministry are mindful about it, it can create jobs by itself almost immediately. Maybe that will be the beginning of the 24-hour economy,” Gamey remarked.
On the broader need for reforms in the Ministry of Labour, Jobs, and Employment, Gamey called for major structural changes. “There is a whole lot of reforms that should be done in that particular ministry,” he noted, adding that the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission should “give way to a better system” that integrates labour statistics for effective policy planning.
His comments come on the back of a call by Kojo Oppong Nkrumah for the newly appointed Minister for Labour, Jobs, and Employment, Abdul-Rashid Hassan Pelpuo, to establish an independent office for labour statistics. Nkrumah argued that the absence of a centralized body for employment data has led to inconsistencies in job creation figures from successive governments. He made these remarks during a parliamentary debate on February 4, 2025, ahead of the House’s approval of Mr. Pelpuo’s nomination.
Gamey believes that aligning labour reforms with a robust statistical framework will usher in real change. “When that is changed and it connects with the labour statistics aspect of what is supposed to be done, you will see a real change in this country. More jobs will be available, and some of the so-called informal sectors will be driven to the formal sector as well.”
