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

Ready to Share

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

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

Ing. Arthur noted that enforcing comprehensive labor laws was critical to ensuring 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 labor laws is weak, you are likely not to be successful in your salary administration.”

He urged the team to promote comprehensive, enforceable labor 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 challenges and future aspirations of the commission.

Established in 2022, Zambia’s Emoluments Commission is tasked with determining, harmonizing, and rationalizing public sector emoluments. This visit underscores its commitment to adopting best practices for fair and sustainable compensation policies.

Expectation

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

He emphasized 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 selected institutions in Ghana to gain insights into Ghana’s best practices in public sector wage management, compensation structures, labor relations, and fiscal policy implementation.

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