FDA staff among worst paid in Ghana– CEO raises concerns
The Chief Executive Officer of the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA), Prof. Kwabena Frimpong-Manso Opuni, has described staff at the Authority as some of the lowest-paid in the country, warning that inadequate remuneration is driving away skilled professionals.
Speaking at the FDA’s 2024 Annual Stakeholder Meeting on Wednesday, August 20, Prof. Opuni revealed that over 67 employees have resigned in the past five years due to poor conditions of service.
The event was held under the theme, “Improving Productivity and Efficiency Through Digitalisation and Staff Commitment.”
“FDA staff are among the worst-paid workers in Ghana. They are not properly paid under the single spine. Last year alone, about 48 left for better-paying jobs in well-resourced organisations,” he said.
He called on the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission and the Ministry of Finance to expedite approval of the FDA’s proposed conditions of service. Prof. Opuni noted that although several recruitment requests had been submitted, only 18 had been approved, with the rest being funded through internally generated resources.
The stakeholder meeting brought together representatives from the Ministries of Finance and Health, exporters, importers, and community leaders to explore ways to improve FDA operations and strengthen public health safeguards.
Providing operational updates, Afua Amoako-Mensah, Head of Planning, Monitoring, and Evaluation at the FDA, reported on the progress of the Street Food Vending Permit Scheme. She said 3,510 vendors were trained during the year, with 1,094 permits issued.
“In the year under review, we trained 3,510 food vendors and issued 1,094 permits. However, many vendors failed to complete the process by securing health certificates despite follow-up reminders,” she said.
She added that the FDA is also working closely with border security agencies to clamp down on non-compliant products entering the country.
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