The Chartered Institute of Human Resource Management (CIHRM), Ghana, in partnership with the University of Ghana Business School (UGBS), organized a health walk over the weekend to raise awareness and mobilize support for the newly launched Human Resource Professorial Chair.
Held on Saturday, June 14 at the University of Ghana, the health walk brought together HR professionals, academics, corporate leaders, and students.
It forms part of a year-long national campaign aimed at promoting research, professionalism, and institutionalized standards in human resource management across the country.
Dr. Mrs. Ellen Hagan, Chairman of the Fund-Raising Committee for the Professorial Chair, underscored the initiative’s long-term impact and called for continued public and corporate sponsorship.
“This is an important milestone in the history of our country because the research and the standards of HR practice are the engine of the country. We’re going to use the whole year to sensitize people and raise funds because research doesn’t come cheap,” Dr. Hagan stated.
She expressed satisfaction with the level of support received from stakeholders but emphasized that there is still significant room for growth. Dr. Hagan also highlighted CIHRM’s constitutional mandate to set and enforce HR standards across Ghana.
“All practicing human resource professionals will be guided by best practice, and we will also be able to monitor and check those practices for the growth of our dear country,” she added.
CIHRM CEO, Dr. Francis Eduku, noted that the health walk marks the second phase of the broader campaign, which began with the formal launch of the Professorial Chair in May.
Upcoming activities include stakeholder meetings, a national public lecture series, CEO roundtables, and sustained media engagement.
Dr. Eduku also announced a major national HR conference scheduled for June 18 and 19 in Accra, with the aim of equipping HR practitioners, executives, and policymakers with the skills and knowledge required to navigate the evolving HR landscape.
“We are trying to mobilize all HR managers, executives, and policymakers to come together, to explore the evolving landscape of human resource management in this country,” he explained.
He further addressed recent concerns raised by the Minister of Education regarding inefficiencies in the public sector workforce, including issues of lateness, absenteeism, and overstaffing.
“You know, we need to match the number of employees to actual productivity. We cannot have a large workforce but limited output. I agree that unemployment is a challenge we must address in this country, but that does not mean placing people in positions where there is no need,” Dr. Eduku noted.
He reiterated CIHRM’s commitment to partnering with relevant ministries and agencies to review and optimize workforce composition across public institutions.
“We are going to work with the ministry and other relevant agencies to make sure we look at the workforce size in the country,” he said.
The HR Professorial Chair, a joint initiative of CIHRM and UGBS, aims to support evidence-based policy development, foster academic excellence in HR education, and ensure Ghana’s HR professionals are globally competitive.
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