Ghana’s growing talent retention challenge will come under scrutiny in October as industry leaders, policymakers and academics gather to examine how workplace conditions, wellbeing and career opportunities are influencing skilled professionals’ decisions to stay or leave the country.

The second annual Ghana Health & Labour (GHL) Summit, themed “Work and Wellness: Fixing Ghana’s Talent Retention Crisis,” will be held from October 8 to 9, 2026, at the University of Ghana in Accra.

The summit is being organised by Mentapulse Africa in partnership with the University of Ghana Business School (UGBS).

It comes on the back of concerns that organisations across critical sectors are struggling to retain skilled professionals, many of whom are seeking better pay, career progression and working conditions elsewhere.

However, Executive Director of Mentapulse Africa and Summit Convenor, Manuel Koranteng, says the challenge should not be viewed simply as a migration or recruitment problem.

“Talent retention is too often treated as a recruitment or migration issue when, in reality, it is a workplace issue,” he said.

According to Mr Koranteng, employees consider the broader experience of work when deciding whether to remain with an organisation, including leadership, compensation, opportunities for growth and their overall wellbeing.

“If we want to retain talent, we must improve that experience,” he added.

He said employers and policymakers must move beyond asking why professionals leave and focus on what can be done to create workplaces that encourage them to stay.

“We need to build workplaces where talented people can see a future, develop their skills and thrive,” Mr Koranteng said.

He argued that efforts to address skills shortages cannot focus solely on producing or recruiting skilled professionals without creating conditions that allow them to remain and thrive.

Head of the Department of Organisation and Human Resource Management at UGBS, Professor Damoah Obi Berko, said the response to the talent retention challenge must be informed by evidence and grounded in the realities of Ghanaian workplaces.

“The talent retention challenge requires evidence-led conversations and solutions that are grounded in the realities of Ghana’s workplaces,” Prof. Berko said.

He said the partnership between UGBS and the summit would provide an opportunity to bring academic research and professional expertise into the national discussion and help translate research into practical approaches to retaining talent.

Board Chair of Mentapulse Africa, Professor Collins Badu Agyemang, said the 2026 summit builds on discussions from last year, which brought together stakeholders in health, labour, policymaking and research.

“This year, we are building on that foundation by confronting another critical dimension of the future of work—our ability to attract and develop the talent Ghana needs,” he said.

Prof. Agyemang said organisations must move beyond simply keeping employees and instead design workplaces that are psychologically healthy, motivating and sustainable.

The two-day summit will feature keynote addresses, expert presentations, panel discussions and interactive workshops.

A job fair, exhibitions, an awards ceremony and dinner gala will also form part of the programme, with organisers hoping to create opportunities for participants to share evidence, develop practical solutions and build partnerships.

Selected plenary sessions will also be livestreamed to allow participants outside the venue to join the discussions.

The summit is expected to bring together representatives from government, business, health, labour, academia and the wider workforce to examine practical ways of improving Ghana’s ability to attract, develop and retain skilled professionals.