The Rt. Hon. Speaker of Parliament, Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin, has officially launched the 2026 National Productivity Week Celebration, calling for a bold national reset anchored on discipline, innovation, efficiency and a transformed work ethic.
The launch, held at the Ministry of Labour, Jobs and Employment in Accra, brought together government officials, labour unions, development partners, academia and private sector leaders under the theme: “Transforming Mindset, Driving Efficiency”.
Delivering the special address as Guest of Honour, Rt Hon. Alban Bagbin emphasized that Ghana’s quest for economic transformation and global competitiveness would remain unattainable without a deliberate change in national attitude toward work, responsibility and accountability. According to him, productivity is fundamentally rooted in mindset, stressing that technological advancement and policy reforms can only succeed when citizens embrace discipline, integrity and purposeful service.
Invoking the vision of Ghana’s founding President, Kwame Nkrumah, the Speaker called for the emergence of a “new African” capable of managing his own affairs through excellence, innovation and efficient utilization of resources. “The transformation we seek must first begin with the transformation of the Ghanaian mindset,” he stated. “Productivity is not merely about working harder; it is about working smarter, delivering quality outcomes and maximizing available resources for national progress.”
Rt. Hon. Bagbin also underscored the strategic role of the Management Development and Productivity Institute (MDPI), describing the institution as a critical national asset capable of bridging the gap between human capital development and economic growth.
Delivering the keynote address on behalf of the Chief of Staff, Hon Nana Oye Bampoe Addo, the Deputy Chief of Staff stressed the urgent need for a renewed national mindset to support Ghana’s economic recovery agenda. She charged Ghanaian workers, public servants and institutions to embrace punctuality, transparency, discipline and performance-based accountability, warning that poor productivity and weak institutional culture continue to undermine national development.
She further emphasized the growing importance of innovation and technology in modern governance and workforce development, advocating the integration of Artificial Intelligence, monitoring and evaluation systems, and continuous professional training into Ghana’s national productivity agenda.
Speaking as the main speaker for the event, the Minister for Labour, Jobs and Employment, Dr. Abdul-Rashid Hassan Pelpuo, reaffirmed government’s commitment to making productivity a central pillar of Ghana’s development strategy. “Productivity is not simply about effort,” the Minister noted. “It is about efficiency, innovation and creating greater value with the resources available to us.”
Addressing institutional reforms at the MDPI, the Minister disclosed that government has initiated a comprehensive review of the institute’s legal framework to align it with contemporary labour and productivity demands. He revealed that the Director-General is currently developing a draft Legislative Instrument for Cabinet consideration as part of broader efforts to reposition the institute to meet modern national and regional expectations.
In a significant boost to the institute’s infrastructure expansion agenda, Dr. Pelpuo announced that the Ministry of Finance has allocated Eight Million Ghana Cedis toward Phase II of the MDPI infrastructure development project to provide a modern and conducive learning and working environment.
Earlier in his welcome address, the Director-General of the Management Development and Productivity Institute, Prof. Elijah Yendaw, underscored the urgent need for Ghana to develop a comprehensive national productivity framework capable of measuring and tracking productivity performance across all sectors of the economy.
Comparing Ghana’s productivity systems with those of Botswana, Mauritius and South Africa, Prof. Yendaw observed that Ghana still lacks an integrated national productivity measurement system to effectively guide policy decisions and resource allocation.
National Productivity Week 2026 is expected to feature policy dialogues, public education campaigns, exhibitions and capacity-building programmes from May 18 to May 22, all geared toward promoting a stronger productivity culture and accelerating Ghana’s socio-economic transformation.
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