The Urgent Need for Workplace Health Reforms in Ghana
As the prevalence of non-encouraging diseases (NCDs) continues to rise across the country, experts are emphasizing the need for decisive reforms to protect employee well-being and position workplaces as a key front in combating this growing health crisis.
At the recent Ghana Health and Labour (GHL) Summit in Accra, health professionals, policy-makers, and labour advocates highlighted the critical importance of addressing the physical and mental health of workers. They warned that without urgent action, the nation risks a decline in productivity and an overburdened healthcare system.
Non-communicable diseases (NCDs), such as heart disease, diabetes, cancer, and respiratory conditions, are chronic illnesses not transmitted from person to person. These conditions are largely influenced by lifestyle and environmental factors, including poor diets, lack of physical activity, tobacco and alcohol use, and air pollution.
According to national data, NCDs account for more than 43 percent of deaths in the country. Additionally, Korle Bu Teaching Hospital has raised concerns about the increasing number of NCD cases, reporting over 5,000 complicated diabetes referrals and more than 2,000 kidney cases in just the first half of 2025.
Experts have urged employers to implement interventions and enforce stronger policies as urgent national priorities. In his keynote address at the summit, which focused on the theme “Mobilising against NCDs: The role of workplaces in safeguarding employee well-being,” Minister for Labour, Jobs and Employment, Abdul-Rashid Hassan Pelpuo, emphasized that the rising burden of NCDs presents both a moral and economic threat to Ghana’s workforce.
He pointed out that workplace stress, poor nutrition, and sedentary habits contribute significantly to the issue. He stressed that a healthy workforce is essential for national productivity and called for urgent reforms to integrate employee well-being into all labor contracts and corporate governance systems.
The minister stated that available data should serve as a wake-up call to transform workplaces “from spaces of stress and decline into engines of empowerment and growth.” He announced that the ministry has established regional taskforces to monitor worker welfare and pledged closer collaboration with the Ministries of Finance, Health, and Education to resolve salary arrears affecting nurses and teachers.
Dr. Thomas Kofi Nyarko Anaba highlighted the consequences of neglecting employee well-being, noting that it leads to declining productivity, rising healthcare costs, and a weakened social fabric. He emphasized that it is in everyone’s interest—employers, workers, and the government alike—to make workplace health a national strategic priority.
He argued that if the nation is serious about reducing the NCD burden, the fight must extend beyond hospitals and clinics to include offices, factories, schools, and farms. Dr. Anaba also stressed the need for workplaces to evolve “from spaces of production to spaces of prevention and protection,” urging employers to adopt holistic health initiatives such as screening, stress management, and flexible work arrangements.
Dr. Collins Badu Agyemang, a lecturer and licensed organizational psychologist at the University of Ghana, added to the conversation by underscoring the need for practical, inclusive measures to strengthen employee well-being at all levels of society. He emphasized that workplace well-being starts with individual responsibility and urged Ghanaians to adopt healthier behaviors and create cleaner, safer environments.
He proposed a national campaign, “Ghana Employee Well-being Month,” and the establishment of therapy units across all ministries, supported by an enabling legal framework under the Ghana Psychological Council Act. Dr. Agyemang also called for policies that extend psychological and health support to informal workers, who constitute over 70 percent of the workforce.
Manuel Koranteng, Executive Director of MentorPulse Africa, shared personal experiences to advocate for employee assistance programs, workplace insurance, and routine screening as practical and scalable interventions. He mentioned that MentorPulse will push a Ghana Workplace Mental Health and Well-Being Declaration to Parliament and roll out an annual State of the Ghanaian Workplace Report to track progress. This initiative will also include a mental-health podcast and community outreach to normalize help-seeking behavior.
The GHL Summit, organized by MentorPulse Africa in collaboration with the University of Ghana School of Public Health, also launched a Ghana Workplace Health Declaration and Employee Safeguarding toolkits aimed at guiding employer actions on screening, prevention, and psychosocial support.