The Ghana Employers’ Association (GEA) has urged the government to use the 2027 Budget to create fiscal buffers against global economic and geopolitical shocks, while delivering comprehensive tax reforms to strengthen local businesses.
The Association said predictable fiscal policies, a competitive tax system and constructive engagement between employers and organised labour would be essential to maintaining business confidence, attracting investment and supporting economic growth.
Its recommendations were made at the GEA’s 66th Annual General Meeting in Accra. The Association praised the government’s efforts to preserve macroeconomic stability, but said further action was needed to protect businesses and maintain the country’s economic recovery.
The GEA said the 2027 Budget should include sufficient safeguards against external pressures, particularly those linked to geopolitical tensions and disruptions in global markets. It also called on the government, employers and organised labour to improve dialogue in order to reduce industrial disputes and protect investment.
Employers seek greater policy certainty
The Association said many local businesses continued to face a difficult operating environment. It argued that comprehensive tax reforms and targeted incentives were needed to improve competitiveness and help companies expand.
Businesses needed stable and predictable policies to make long-term decisions on technology, machinery and other productive assets, the GEA said.
“Businesses also need policy predictability. Enterprises invest in new technology and machinery on the basis of expectations about the future,” the Association said.
It added that certainty around taxation, regulatory obligations, utility costs and administrative procedures was vital to effective long-term planning.
The GEA proposed a “policy predictability compact” between the government and the private sector. It said the arrangement should ensure meaningful consultation on major policies affecting businesses before they were introduced.
“We therefore propose a policy predictability compact between government and the private sector. Such a compact will promote meaningful consultation on major business-related policies before they are rolled out,” the GEA stated.
The Association said closer engagement between the government and private sector could reduce uncertainty, improve operating conditions and encourage investment in productive areas of the economy.
GEA calls for action on labour disputes and automation
The GEA also raised concerns over recurring labour agitations, warning that lengthy industrial disputes could reduce productivity, interrupt business operations and deter investment.
Under the tripartite framework, it called on the government, employers and organised labour to place dialogue and good-faith negotiations at the centre of efforts to resolve workplace disagreements.
“Industrial peace is an economic asset. Disagreements can be resolved through established institutions, dialogue and good-faith negotiations rather than long disruptions, because it doesn’t help labour and it doesn’t help employers,” the Association said.
It further proposed a national policy on human-centred automation and the future of work. The policy would guide the use of emerging technologies while protecting the role of workers in critical occupations.
“Government, employers and organised labour, the tripartite, should work towards a national policy on human-centred automation and the future of work. Such a policy should identify strategic occupations where human participation must be preserved,” it said.
The GEA said coordinated action on technological change and labour relations would help businesses respond to emerging trends without harming workers’ interests or economic stability.
Responding to the Association’s concerns, the Minister of Trade, Industry and Agribusiness, Ofosu Agyare, reaffirmed the government’s commitment to supporting businesses through initiatives designed to improve access to opportunities and expand the market for Ghanaian enterprises.
