The Minister for Labour, Jobs and Employment, Dr Abdul-Rashid Hassan Pelpuo, has charged the newly sworn-in governing board members of the Management Development and Productivity Institute (MDPI) to urgently reform the institute and reposition it to play a leading role in Ghana’s productivity and capacity-building agenda.
He explained that the MDPI held a critical national mandate to provide training, capacity development and productivity enhancement programmes for both private and public servants across all levels of government but had for years operated under an obsolete legal and institutional framework that limited its ability to respond to emerging national needs and effectively deliver on its mandate.
“The NDPI requires fundamental reforms to undertake any key initiative that enhances its brand, organisational capacity and operational effectiveness.
As board members, you must make concerted efforts to improve the brand and image of the Institute among the public in the delivery of its mandate,” he said at the swearing-in ceremony held in Accra.
The new board is chaired by Sesay Salifu Abdul-Qadir and includes Joojo Meuwissen Ghansah of Maewissen Grant & Associates, Professor Elijah Yendaw of MDPI, Rhoda Gavor from the Ministry of Labour, Jobs and Employment, Kingsley Amuah of the Ghana Employers' Association and Euclid Kofi Ohene Obeng, Secretary General of the TUC (UNICOF).
New bill, reset agenda
Dr Pelpuo urged the new board to spearhead the development and passage of a new legal framework to replace the outdated Legislative Instrument (LI 1077 of 1976) to transform the MDPI into a world-class institute that effectively delivers productivity-enhancing programmes and services to both public and private sector institutions.
“The tasks ahead of you may appear challenging but with effective cooperation, collaboration, teamwork and meaningful partnerships, we can achieve a lot together. I have no doubt in your experience and track record in changing the face of the MDPI for the better,” he added.
As part of government’s broader Reset Agenda, the minister emphasised the crucial role of the MDPI in training, equipping and reorienting newly appointed heads and staff of state institutions, bodies and agencies, including Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs) and assembly members to align them with the new governance vision.
Key focus
The Chairman of the board, Sesay Salifu Abdul-Qadir, emphasised that the appointment was not merely a leadership position but a pledge to advance the Institute’s mission and contribute to national development.
He outlined five key priorities that needed immediate focus: the finalisation of the Act to solidify the Institute’s legal mandate, the urgent completion of its permanent office complex, the necessity of consistent government budgetary support, the strengthening of human resource capacity to meet growing demands and the reclamation and development of 150 acres of encroached land earmarked for the proposed West Africa Institute for Productivity Studies.
“We take this responsibility seriously and we are committed to working collectively with government, private sector partners and the wider public to deliver results.
As we embark on this journey, our focus will be on resetting mindsets towards the resetting Ghana agenda, promoting productivity and ensuring MDPI stands as a centre of excellence not only in Ghana but across the sub-region,” Mr Qadir said.
