The government plans to recruit 16,500 health professionals in 2026, with financial clearance already secured to ensure newly employed workers receive their salaries, Deputy Chief of Staff Nana Oye Bampoe Addo has announced.
Speaking at the Ghana Health and Labour Summit 2026 at the University of Ghana, Legon, she said the recruitment drive was part of efforts to address staffing shortages and improve healthcare delivery.
“Government plans to recruit 16,500 health professionals in 2026, and with financial clearance secured ahead of recruitment, so that no recruit works without pay,” she said.
The announcement comes as Ghana continues to grapple with staffing gaps in some health facilities, unemployment among trained professionals and the migration of skilled workers to other countries.
However, Bampoe Addo stressed that recruitment alone would not resolve the challenge of retaining health professionals, highlighting the need for working conditions that encourage skilled workers to remain in Ghana.
Chief Labour Officer Dauda Ibrahim Braimah, who represented the Minister for Labour, Jobs and Employment, also said decisions about whether to remain in the country were influenced by factors beyond salaries.
“Ultimately, retention depends on quality of life, including housing, security, transportation, and workplace culture,” he said.
Braimah said the Labour Ministry was pursuing reforms to strengthen labour market governance, improve working conditions and expand access to decent employment.
He added that the ministry was working with social partners to ensure labour laws and institutions kept pace with changing workplace realities, including technological developments and evolving employment expectations.
