Ghana is set to adopt a national plan on business and human rights to provide a road map for proper business conduct, respect for human rights and good corporate governance. 

The Vice President, Dr Mahamudu Bawmia says this is essential to promote business transparency and reduce corruption.

He said this at the 14th Biennial Conference of the Network of African National Human Rights Institutions on the theme: “Nurturing Responsible Business Conduct and Respect for Human Rights in Africa: The Role of African National Human Rights Institutions in Centering Human and People’s Rights in the Context of Business Operations and the African Continental Free Trade Area Agreement.”

Dr Bawumia said, “as you may be aware, the United Nations Guiding Principles (UNGPs) on Business and Human Rights are founded on three pillars which are: the state's duty to protect human rights, the corporate responsibility to respect human rights and the need for greater access to effective remedy.”

“The Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights for me represent a courageous, practical, and essential call to action to transform our world through responsible business practices. We must exercise our right to development and one way is by doing business as this will create jobs and improve the economy.”

The Vice President, however, noted that people must do their business in a manner that does not destroy the collective future of Ghanaians and the future of generations to come.

This, he noted, has necessitated the need to nurture responsible business conduct which must have as its fulcrum, the respect for human rights.

Dr Bawumia said that “Ghana will soon adopt and launch its National Action Plan on Business and Human Rights following the collaborative work ongoing between the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) and the Office of the Attorney-General and Ministry of Justice with support from other key stakeholders.”

“I am aware that the Commission in the year 2020 conducted a national baseline assessment on the Voluntary Principles of Security and Human Rights in the Extractive Sector in Ghana and in 2021 concluded the National Baseline Assessment on Business and Human Rights in Ghana in collaboration with the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration as a prelude to the processes towards the development and adoption of a National Action Plan on Business and Human Rights.”

He said the government will support the CHRAJ to always deliver on its mandate and urged all African leaders to do the same for their national human rights institutions.

“We need very strong, independent and results-oriented national human rights institutions to provide the necessary guidance in improving on the human rights records in our respective countries and the continent as a whole,” he added.

Dr Bawumia also called for a collaborative approach by all stakeholders, including government, national human rights institutions, corporate actors, and civil society organisations among others in the realisation and implementation of the project.

Also at the event, the Commissioner for CHRAJ, Joseph Whittal said the commission is liaising with the Attorney General to ensure compliance.

He assured that Ghana would soon join Kenya, Uganda and Nigeria in having a national action plan on business and human rights to deal with all the issues in the business environments in Ghana.