A delegation from The Gambia's Ministry of Trade, Industry, Regional Integration, and Employment has paid a working visit to the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission (FWSC) to tap Ghana's experience in managing public employment programmes and employment tracking systems.

Issues Discussed

The delegation interacted with the heads of the various units of the commission.

The Gambian delegation, led by Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Dampha Lamin, sought to acquire knowledge and the needed skills to enhance their country's labour sector.

Welcoming the delegation, the Chief Executive of FWSC, Ing. Benjamin Arthur, shared insights into the Commission's operations, mandate, and achievements.

Key topics discussed at the meeting included the Salary Administration regimes, Single Spine Salary Pay Policy, performance management in the public service, the activities of the technical directorates of the Commission and major achievements of the FWSC in 2023.

Highlighting some of the achievements of the FWSC for last year, Ing Arthur said the Commission developed a blueprint on linking pay to performance and productivity in the public sector, monitoring 119 public service organisations to sanitise government payroll system and to ensure compliance with the Single Spine Pay Policy. He added that the Commission engaged 450 stakeholders on harmonisation of salary administration to ensure sustainable wage bills and 35 public service organisations on linking pay to performance and productivity.

Ready to learn

The delegation indicated that The Gambia was ready to learn from Ghana's labour management expertise, acknowledging some of the major transformations in addressing labour issues in the country, which have positively impacted industrial relations.

He applauded the Commission, especially for successfully negotiating the conditions of service for 45 public-sector organisations.

Mr Lamin highlighted the historical relationship between Ghana and The Gambia, explaining that the visit underscored the growing collaboration between Ghana and The Gambia in labour-sector development.

He expressed gratitude for the enlightenment from the team at the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission.