The Chartered Institute of Human Resource Management, Ghana (CIHRM), has held its second conferral and graduation ceremony for the year, in line with the institute’s commitment to holding such ceremonies in July and November every year.

During the November ceremony, 21 students who completed the institute’s Level 4 programme were awarded a Chartered Human Resource Management Practitioner status, while 179 Level three students who passed their exams were admitted into the Associate Membership category of the institute.

In his welcome address, the Chief Executive Officer of CIHRM, Dr. Francis Eduku, explained that the institute achieved strong professional headwinds in 2024 by conferring a Chartered Human Resource Management Practitioner status on 76 members and graduating 312 students Associate Members. This significant achievement has increased the number of Chartered HR Practitioners from 291 in 2023 to 376 in 2024 and Associate Members from 1,925 in 2023 to 2,237 in 2024.

The CEO of the Institute admonished the newly chartered HR Practitioners and the Associate Members to rely on the character and resilience built during their professional journey with the Institute to navigate the increasingly dynamic world of work characterized by Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity, and Ambiguity, also known as VUCA.

He also urged them to embrace the 5Cs of the HR profession: Competence, Courage, Curiosity, Credibility, and Care.

The President of CIHRM, Florence Hutchful, in brief remarks, said that most business leaders now understand that having a well-structured HR function led by a qualified HR professional is crucial for an organization’s success and sustainability.

She advised the newly chartered HR Practitioners and the Associate Members to thrive to be change agents anywhere they find themselves and work to transform the HR function from a transactional role to a strategic, people-centered one.

“Position yourself as a value-adding partner to your organization. Make every effort to gain a deep understanding of the business you are in and contribute to its growth by implementing an HR strategy that aligns with the organization’s success. Your impact should be evident in both the organization’s success as well as the well-being of its employees”, Mrs. Florence Hutchful added.

The Guest Speaker for the ceremony, Prof. Pinaman Appau, the Chief Executive Officer of the Mental Health Authority, speaking on the theme: “From Mental Health to Mental Wealth: Building a Resilient Workforce for Peak Performance,” revealed that the statistics surrounding the mental health in the workplace were staggering and stressed that poor mental well-being affected our physical health and vice versa.

According to Prof. Appau, a 2023 survey of the state of mental health at workplaces in East Africa showed that about 80% of East African workers reported experiencing either moderate, high, or extremely high levels of stress.

She emphasised that this scenario was also prevalent in Ghana and called on HR Professionals to bridge the gap by turning “mental health” challenges into opportunities for building “mental wealth”.

The 13^th conferral and 17^th graduation ceremony was attended by the Vice President of CIHRM, Dorothy Asare, Immediate Past President of CIHRM, Dr. Edward Kwapong, Council members of CIHRM, Members of the Professional Certification Board, Fellows of the Institute, families and friends of the institute’s newly chartered HR Practitioners and the Associate Members.

Included is the list of 21 Chartered Human Resource Management Practitioners who completed the Level 4 programme, and 179 Associate Members, who passed their Level 3 exams.