Increase collaboration with government to ensure socioeconomic progress - Akufo-Addo to GEA

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has urged the Ghana Employers Association (GEA) to keep working with the government to identify and address all challenges that might impede the country’s socioeconomic progress.

This was due to the increased importance of developing an inclusively prosperous nation, and all parties, including the government and the private sector, must work together to achieve that goal.

“I appeal to the GEA to continue to collaborate with government and organised labour as the key social partners in Ghana to identify and address all national business and labour issues that may emerge as roadblocks to the realisation of our individual and common goals,” he said.

President Akufo-Addo made the call on Tuesday during the commissioning of the GEA’s new ultra-modern office building in Accra.

Christened “The Employers House,’ the four-Storey edifice, includes among others, offices that will serve as operational hub for the GEA’s staff, conference rooms and training rooms.

President Akufo-Addo stated that the new office complex reflected progress, innovation, and inclusive prosperity, and stood as a symbol of shared commitment to building a stronger and more prosperous business community in the country.

He said the new edifice also underscored the fact that employers remained the economic backbone, driving development, innovation, employment, and wealth creation, and serving as the engine of growth.

“The GEA has been a true partner in this endeavour, advocating for sound economic and social policies, promoting best labour practices, and providing some invaluable support to businesses of all sizes,” he said.

The President praised the GEA for championing interventions aimed at deepening social dialogue and maintaining a peaceful industrial relations environment in the country, which were required for enterprise sustainability, investment attraction, a stable labour market, and overall national development.

He reiterated the government’s commitment to create an environment in which businesses could develop and achieve their social responsibilities.

The President urged employers in the country to fully utilise the new office complex, use it to network, share information, and the development of game-changing ideas.

“It must be a springboard for Ghanaian businesses to expand their reach and conquer new markets through the framework of the African Continental Free Trade Area (ACFTA) whose Secretariat we are privileged to host in Ghana and other existing bilateral and multilateral trade agreements, “he said.

Mr Daniel Acheampong, Chief Executive Officer of the GEA, stated that the office complex was a declaration of the organisation’s identity and purpose.

He said the edifice would serve as the central nerve of GEA’s operations.

It would providing a conducive environment for employers to convene, strategise and make decisions that would boost the competitiveness of business and shape the future of industry in Ghana