A five-member delegation from Zambia’s Emoluments Commission has paid a working visit to Ghana's Fair Wages and Salaries Commission (FWSC) to learn from its approaches to public sector compensation, wage harmonisation, and job evaluation.

Led by Chairman George Kawatu, the Zambian delegation aimed to adopt insights from FWSC to enhance Zambia’s public sector compensation systems, focusing on fiscal sustainability and equitable wage structures.

Other members of the delegation were the acting Director General, Chembo F. Mbula, Director of Emoluments, Research, Policy and Forecasting, Mufingwe Ngambi, Manager of Job Evaluation and Regrading, Dorothy Mamfunda and Manager of Salaries and Conditions of Service, Ireen Musonda.

Welcoming the delegation, the Chief Executive of FWSC, Ing. Benjamin Arthur said the Commission was excited to share insights of its work with the delegation and also learn from them.

He emphasised the importance of socio-cultural and political contexts in effective salary administration.

Mr Arthur noted that enforcing comprehensive labour laws was critical to ensure successful salary management.

Without strong enforcement, he explained, even well-designed systems could face challenges in implementation.

"If you have a country where the enforcement of labour laws is weak, you are likely not to be successful in your salary administration".

He urged the team to promote comprehensive enforceable labour laws to be successful in their work.

Mandate of FWSC

The Director of Salary Administration at FWSC, Mr Cephas Amada, provided an overview of FWSC's salary administration systems, discussing the challenges and future aspirations of the Commission.

He indicated that the Commission and the Public Services Commission (PSC) were implementing an initiative dubbed Linking Pay to Performance and Productivity to promote an effective wage management system in the country.

The initiative, he explained, aims to align worker's monthly salaries with their performance.

Mr Amada said the ongoing initiative was crucial for enhancing productivity in the public service and to protect the public purse.

Mr Kawatu commended FWSC for its leading role in wage harmonisation in Ghana, explaining that Zambia is eager to learn from FWSC's expertise in job evaluation and equitable salary structure.

He emphasised Zambia’s goal to establish a competitive, fair, and transparent wage structure that reflects the various roles within its public sector.

"Our visit here is motivated by a genuine desire to deepen our understanding of how FWSC navigates the complexities of job evaluation, job grading and wage setting within Ghana's public institutions".

Mr Kawatu also expressed interest in exploring the FWSC's policy frameworks and procedural approaches which had enabled it to achieve wage equity while maintaining transparency and trust among public sector employees and stakeholders.

He said it was the expectation of the team to explore opportunities for mutual learning that would advance public service and economic resilience in both nations.

During their visit, the Zambian delegation will interact with experts and officials from some selected institutions in Ghana to gain insights into Ghana's best practices in public sector wage management, compensation structures, labour relations and fiscal policy implementation.

Some of the institutions they will visit are Ghana's Ministry of Finance, Controller and Accountant General's Department, Institute of Fiscal Studies, Ministry of Employment and Labour Relations, Public Services Commission and the National Labour Commission.

Established in 2022, Zambia's Emoluments Commission is tasked with determining, harmonising, and rationalising public sector emoluments, and this visit underscores its commitment to adopting best practices for fair and sustainable compensation.