President Mahama announces 20% salary incentive for health, education workers accepting deprived-area postings
President John Dramani Mahama has announced a 20 percent additional salary incentive for health and education workers who accept postings to deprived and underserved districts across Ghana.
The initiative is aimed at encouraging more professionals to accept postings to areas where access to healthcare and education services remains limited.
President Mahama announced the policy at a Free Primary Healthcare durbar at the Fiano Health Centre in the Daffiama-Bussie-Issa District of the Upper West Region, as part of his two-day Resetting Ghana Tour.
He said the country had over the years struggled to attract health professionals, teachers, civil servants and other public officers to certain parts of the country because of difficult living and working conditions.
President Mahama commended health professionals who had accepted postings to the Daffiama-Bussie-Issa District, describing their decision to serve in an underserved area as an act of patriotism.
“All the young people you see here are health professionals who have accepted postings to the Daffiama-Bussie-Issa District. I want to commend them for their patriotism and for accepting to serve in an underserved part of Ghana,” he said.
He urged residents to support the professionals and make them feel welcome in their communities.
“I ask the people of this district to make their lives comfortable here. Show them kindness and make them feel at home,” he said.
According to President Mahama, he has directed the Fair Wages Commission to identify deprived and underserved districts across the country to facilitate the implementation of the incentive.
“Health workers and educational workers who accept postings to those districts will receive an additional 20 percent of their basic salary as an incentive,” he announced.
He said the process had already begun and the incentive would take effect once the necessary approvals had been completed.
President Mahama also said government was taking steps to improve living conditions in deprived communities through investments in roads, water, electricity and other public services.
He noted that improving infrastructure and basic amenities in underserved areas was necessary to make such communities more attractive to professionals posted there.
The President further announced that government was providing health workers with equipment needed to perform their duties effectively, including diagnostic kits, motorcycles and tricycles to support outreach and home-visit services.
He expressed confidence that the combination of financial incentives and improved infrastructure would help address the uneven distribution of professionals and improve access to essential services in underserved communities.
