ACCRA, Ghana, 10th September: President John Dramani Mahama has called for a major reform of executive remuneration in state-owned enterprises, insisting that salaries and allowances must increasingly reflect productivity, institutional performance and financial sustainability.
He said high-performing institutions should be appropriately rewarded, but entities recording chronic losses cannot continue to increase executive salaries and allowances without corresponding improvements in performance.
Addressing the 2026 Annual Governing and CEOs Conference of the State Interests and Governance Authority (SIGA) at the Labadi Beach Hotel in Accra, President Mahama said the government is committed to strengthening the relationship between compensation, productivity and institutional performance.
He said the transition from the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission to the proposed Independent Public Employment Commission provided an opportunity for a comprehensive review of remuneration across the public sector.
According to the President, executive compensation should increasingly be linked to measurable indicators, including financial performance, productivity, quality of service and fiscal sustainability.
He directed every state-owned enterprise to cooperate fully by submitting accurate compensation and performance data as part of the reform process.
President Mahama warned that corporate status must not be used as an excuse for opaque remuneration practices or unjustified disparities in salaries and allowances.
“High-performing institutions should be appropriately rewarded, but chronic losses cannot continue to attract increasing salaries and allowances,” he said.
The President said performance contracts signed by chief executives should not be treated as administrative paperwork but as covenants with the people of Ghana.
He stressed that leadership positions must be tied to measurable performance, value creation and profitability, adding that executives would be expected to demonstrate tangible results from the resources entrusted to them.
President Mahama said the approach was part of broader efforts to make state-owned enterprises more efficient, financially sustainable and capable of delivering measurable value to Ghanaians.
Story by: Emmanuel Romeo Tetteh(#RomeoWrites✍️)/ Presidential Affairs Correspondent | Ghana 🇬🇭