Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum, a flagbearer hopeful of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), has pledged to champion livable wages for Ghanaian workers if elected President, describing fair pay as a critical pathway to national prosperity and poverty reduction.
Speaking at a press conference ahead of the party’s presidential primary in Kumasi, Dr Adutwum said Ghana must move beyond survival-level incomes and ensure that workers earn wages that could adequately support their families.
“Livable wages are wages that take care of you and your family.
They should allow you to pay school fees, meet household needs, and, in time, own a car and a home.
That is how countries emerge from poverty,” he stated.
The former Education Minister argued that improving workers’ incomes was not only a social responsibility, but also an economic necessity.
According to him, Ghana’s long-term development depended on increased productivity, which could only be achieved through deliberate investment in skills training.
He announced plans to expand training opportunities for workers, particularly in information technology and other in-demand skills, to enable them to add value at their workplaces and improve their earning potential.
“There can be no increase in productivity without giving people the opportunity to train themselves well and acquire relevant skills.
My government will ensure workers have access to 21st-century skills, especially in the IT field,” he emphasised.
Beyond wages, Dr Adutwum described poverty eradication as a national imperative, expressing concern that a significant proportion of Ghanaians were either unemployed or remained poor despite being employed.
“The fact that close to 40 per cent of our people are not working, or are working and still poor, should worry all of us,” he said, adding that, Ghana could overcome the challenge if deliberate policies were pursued.
Dr Adutwum said he was committed to uniting the party after the primaries to ensure a united front ahead of 2028.
The NPP goes to the polls on Saturday, January 31, 2026, to elect its presidential candidate, with delegates expected to weigh policy direction, party unity and leadership vision as they cast their votes.
