Dr. George Smith-Graham has been appointed as the Acting Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission (FWSC).
His appointment comes at a crucial time as the government is initiating processes to transition the FWSC into an Independent Emoluments Commission.
In a press statement shared with GhanaWeb, it was noted that Dr. Smith-Graham’s extensive knowledge, both domestically and internationally, is expected to provide the strategic direction and technical leadership necessary to guide this transition.
This will ensure alignment with international best practices and the aspirations of Ghana’s public sector workforce.
Dr. Smith-Graham brings a wealth of expertise and international acclaim in human capital management, public sector compensation policy, and institutional reform to this role.
The statement pointed out that as the first substantive CEO of the Commission from 2009 to 2017, he played an instrumental role in the successful implementation of the government’s pay and compensation policy.
As an accomplished international consultant and transformational leader, Dr. Smith-Graham has over three decades of experience in compensation management, public service reforms, and strategic leadership.
He led huge reform efforts in Sierra Leone, where he served as an International Consultant and provided technical assistance in the establishment of the country’s Wages and Compensation Commission.
This institution is responsible for determining the salary and other emoluments for public servants, from the President to the lowest-paid worker in Sierra Leone.
The newly appointed acting CEO has also been involved in developing policy, legal, and institutional frameworks that support fair, transparent, and sustainable public sector compensation, a model now being considered for Ghana.
He succeeds Benjamin Arthur, who was appointed by former President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo in January 2022.
Dr. Smith-Graham is also the Founder and CEO of the International Institute for Productivity and Public Management (IPPUM), an institution established to drive productivity and governance transformation in Africa.
He holds a Master of Arts degree from both the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA) and the Kofi Annan Peacekeeping Training Centre.
Additionally, he holds an Executive Master’s degree from the Institute of Paralegal Training and Leadership Studies in Accra, a Professional Executive Master’s degree from the PULSE Institute (Calgary, Canada), and credentials from the Mediation Training Institute International (Kansas City, USA).
VA/EB
