The Chief Executive Officer of the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA), Prof. Kwabena Frimpong-Manso Opuni, has raised concern over the low salaries of staff, warning that poor remuneration is pushing many highly trained professionals out of the Authority.
Speaking at the FDA’s 2024 Annual Stakeholder Meeting on Wednesday, August 20, themed “Improving Productivity and Efficiency Through Digitalisation and Staff Commitment,” Prof. Opuni revealed that more than 67 employees have resigned in the last five years due to unattractive conditions of service.
“FDA staff are among the worst-paid workers in Ghana. They are not properly compensated under the single spine. Last year alone, about 48 left for better-paying jobs in well-resourced organisations,” he disclosed.
He urged the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission and the Ministry of Finance to expedite approval of the Authority’s proposed conditions of service, noting that only 18 of its recruitment requests had been cleared by the Ministry. The remainder, he said, had been supported through internally generated funds.
The meeting brought together stakeholders from the Ministries of Finance and Health, exporters, importers, and community leaders to discuss strategies for enhancing productivity and safeguarding public health.
Providing updates on the Authority’s activities, Prof. Opuni revealed that in the year under review, the FDA trained 3,510 food vendors and issued 1,094 permits. However, many vendors failed to complete the process by securing health certificates despite repeated follow-ups.
He further stated that the FDA is collaborating with border security agencies to clamp down on the influx of non-compliant products into the country, a move aimed at protecting consumers and strengthening regulatory enforcement.
