Ghana Business Coalition on Employee Wellbeing (GBCEW) has held its Annual General Meeting (AGM) with a call on businesses to prioritise the health and safety of their employees for the growth of their enterprises
"Some of the benefits to derive include reduced costs and increased productivity, a happier and more productive workforce, lower rates of worker absence and turn over and greater awareness and control of workplace."
Mr Sanjay Rughani Chairman of the Executive Council of GBCEW who made the call noted that Ghana has made modest progress and there is the need to continue working for its sustainability.
GBCEW, which has the theme: "Promoting Safe, Healthy and Wealth, Workplace," has come to replace the Ghana Business Coalition Against HIV and AIDS (GBCA), which among other objectives was to execute and implement workplace interventions to scale up the business sector response to HIV and AIDS. It was also to establish partnerships and network with key stakeholders.
GBCEW, which was established last in 2011, is to mobilise and empower Ghana business community ready to take effective action on employee wellbeing in the workplace and beyond.
It is also to mitigate the impact of communicable and non-communicable diseases on sustained profitability and economic growth, lead in establishing a network of high quality information and best practices as well as sustain partnerships between the business sector and other stakeholders.
Mr Rughani noted that the GBCEW is collaborating with member companies to expand exchange platform on development partnerships with the private sector in health and social protection.
He explained that the Employee Programme Concept consisted of Health and Safety, Social Protection and Strengthening National Health Systems, and Social Protection.
He said the GBCA was able to get more than 40 corporate organisations who periodically, organise HIV testing and counseling sessions for their employees as well as other lifestyle related issues to address the issues of stigma, and fear associated with HIV testing.
"Together with the Ghana AIDS Commission (GAC), monitoring and evaluation tools have been developed for the private sector workplace HIV programmes and GBCA has been given the mandate by GAC to pilot a similar tool for the business sector and subsequently share the lessons learnt with other sectors".
Mr Akwete Akita, a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants (Ghana) who audited GBCA for 2011 said: "Proper books of accounts have been kept and the statement of financial position, income and expenditure account and the accumulated fund are in agreement with the books of accounts."
The AGM reconstituted the Executive Council and maintained Mr Rughani who also works with the Standard Chartered Bank as the Chairman, Mr Alex Banful of the Ghana Social Marketing Foundation and Mr Charles Coffie of Antares Africa Resources Limited.
Two new members Araba Sam Annan of Vesterguard Frandsen, Disease Control Textiles and Norman Williams of Association of Chartered Certified Accountants were accepted as members of the Executive Council.