Mentapulse Africa annual GHL Summit to tackle Ghana’s growing talent retention crisis

Ghana’s growing talent retention challenge will come under scrutiny in October as industry leaders, policymakers and academics gather to examine how workplace conditions, wellbeing and career opportunities are influencing skilled professionals’ decisions to stay or leave the country. The second annual Ghana Health & Labour (GHL) Summit, themed “Work and Wellness: Fixing Ghana’s Talent Retention Crisis,” will be held from October 8 to 9, 2026, at the University of Ghana in Accra. The summit is being organised by Mentapulse Africa in partnership with the University of Ghana Business School (UGBS).

It comes on the back of concerns that organisations across critical sectors are struggling to retain skilled professionals, many of whom are seeking better pay, career progression and working conditions elsewhere. However, Executive Director of Mentapulse Africa and Summit Convenor, Manuel Koranteng, says the challenge should not be viewed simply as a migration or recruitment problem. Executive Director of Mentapulse Africa and Summit Convenor, Manuel Koranteng “Talent retention is too often treated as a recruitment or migration issue when, in reality, it is a workplace issue,” he said.

According to Mr Koranteng, employees consider the broader experience of work when deciding whether to remain with an organisation, including leadership, compensation, opportunities for growth and their overall wellbeing. “If we want to retain talent, we must improve that experience,” he added. He said employers and policymakers must move beyond asking why professionals leave and focus on what can be done to create workplaces that encourage them to stay.

“We need to build workplaces where talented people can see a future, develop their skills and thrive,” Mr Koranteng said. He argued that efforts to address skills shortages cannot focus solely on producing or recruiting skilled professionals without creating conditions that allow them to remain and thrive. Head of the Department of Organisation and Human Resource Management at UGBS, Professor Damoah Obi Berko, said the response to the talent retention challenge must be informed by evidence and grounded in the realities of Ghanaian workplaces.

“The talent retention challenge requires evidence-led conversations and solutions that are grounded in the realities of Ghana’s workplaces,” Prof. He said the partnership between UGBS…