Ending the Endless Contracts: A Call to Reform Public Sector Recruitment in Ghana

By Foster Blankson Amanpene

Graduate unemployment in Ghana is a crisis. Yet, pin many government offices, job seekers hear the same refrain: “There is no vacancy; the place is choked.” Ironically, these same agencies overflow with contract staff – retired officers on extended engagement, national service personnel whose temporary service has quietly evolved into permanent
seats, and politically connected hires with little or no technical expertise.

This paradox reveals a broken system where connections trump competence. Retirees are routinely kept on contract in the name of
“experience,” while thousands of qualified graduates remain jobless. The irony is painful: many of these retirees have unemployed children at home -children whose education they funded – yet their continued presence blocks opportunities for the next generation. Some retirees, unable to drive due to age, even rely on ride-hailing services to commute daily to jobs that could empower young
professionals.

Retirement is no surprise; it is predictable. Yet agencies behave as though each departure is an emergency, hurriedly recalling retirees instead of grooming successors.
When contracts finally end, the same agencies advertise for “experienced
candidates,” trapping graduates in a vicious cycle: you need a job to gain
experience, but you need experience to get the job.

A Smarter Path Forward

A Succession Transition Policy offers a bold solution. Starting at age 55, employees – especially in technical roles – should identify and train a successor. Upon retirement, the trained successor steps in
automatically, eliminating the need for contract extensions unless mandated by law. Vacancies should then be publicly advertised and filled through competitive processes, reserving external calls for positions requiring truly rare expertise.

Synergywith the 24-Hour Economy Policy

The government’s flagship 24-Hour Economy policy aims to boost productivity and create jobs by ensuring that public and private services run around the clock. For this vision to succeed, a steadypipeline of skilled young workers is essential. A well-structured succession policy would:

• Release New
  Talent: Predictable
  retirements would open vacancies for graduates to join critical sectors, supplying the human capital needed for a true 24-hour workforce.

• Enable Shift
  Systems: With more young
  professionals entering the system, public agencies could operate extended hours without overburdening a small, aging workforce.

• Drive Economic Expansion: The infusion of fresh energy and modern skills aligns perfectly with a 24-hour economy’s demand for innovation, efficiency, and digital adaptability.

Key Benefits of the Policy

• Boost Staff
  Motivation: Employees
  nearing retirement will work with renewed purpose, knowing they areleaving a legacy through the successors they mentor.

• Improve
  Productivity: Successors
  trained in-house will require little or no orientation, ensuring seamless
  service delivery and reducing costly disruptions.

• Expand Youth
  Employment: Predictable
  retirements will create predictable vacancies for thousands of qualified graduates, injecting new energy into the public sector and fueling the 24-hour economy.

• Preserve Institutional Memory: Structured knowledge transfer from experienced staff to successors will safeguard skills and best practices, reducing the risk of expertise loss.

A Lesson from the Pandemic

During the COVID-19 lockdowns, Ghana witnessed how working from home and shift systems kept manyorganizations running smoothly, proving that productivity does not depend on rigid routines or endless physical presence. Likewise, the public sector can learn that efficiency and fairness – not perpetual contract extensions – sustain essential services. Retirees can be respected in advisory or mentorship roles, but they should not be used to block youth employment. A
well-structured succession plan, combined with flexible work models, would motivate staff, open doors for graduates, and align with Ghana’s 24-hour economy policy.

organizations running smoothly, proving that productivity does not depend on rigid routines or endless physical presence. Likewise, the public sector can learn that efficiency and fairness – not perpetual contract extensions – sustain essential services. Retirees can be respected in advisory or mentorship roles, but they should not be used to block youth employment. A
well-structured succession plan, combined with flexible work models, would motivate staff, open doors for graduates, and align with Ghana’s 24-hour economy policy.

Predictable retirements should create predictable opportunities. A succession transition policy is not just about fairness; it is a powerful tool to fuel a 24-Hour Economy, curb graduate unemployment, and unlock Ghana’s next phase of economic growth.

Aboutthe Author:

the Author:

Foster Blankson Amanpene is a social-justice advocate, independent paralegal,and law student devoted to advancing fairness and opening doors of opportunity for his generation and those to come.

and law student devoted to advancing fairness and opening doors of opportunity for his generation and those to come.