The Trade Union Congress (TUC) has rebuked prominent economist, Prof Stephen Adei for his assertion that Togolese workers exhibit higher productivity levels than their Ghanaian counterparts.
Director of the Labour Research and Policy Institute at TUC, Dr. Kwabena Nyarko Otoo, has criticized Prof Adei, accusing him of harboring a deep-seated disdain for Ghanaian workers.
“He has a morbid hatred for Ghanaian workers and unions. His claim to fame in Ghana is what he did at GIMPA. He didn’t do those things with Togolese workers.
“There were drivers and security people he worked with when he was there. And the least thing these people expect from him is this kind of comment. Can any government or any employer come and tell us what they have been doing about productivity? Except to perpetually complain that the Ghanaian worker is unproductive without evidence?” he said in an interview on Accra-based Citi TV.
Prof Adei, former Rector of GIMPA, recently asserted that his research indicated Togolese workers exhibit superior work quality compared to Ghanaians, leading employers to favor them due to their perceived higher productivity.
However, Dr. Otoo contested this assertion, questioning whether Prof Adei would opt for medical treatment in Togo or Ghana if faced with a health challenge.
He further suggested that Prof Adei could have conveyed his message more constructively, acknowledging that while there are challenges regarding work attitudes in Ghana, efforts are being made to address them.
He also queried Prof Adei’s basis for claiming that Ghanaian workers lack productivity, highlighting the absence of research documents by Prof Adei supporting his contentions, and suggested that his criticism should be more substantiated.
“Prof. Adei said Ghanaian workers are lazy, and less productive, if he happens to have a medical condition that requires medical surgery will he go to Togo or Korle Bu?
“Since the Togolese workers including the medical doctors are more productive than the Ghanaian ones,” he stated.
Dr Otoo said Prof Adei could have sent his message across in a better way, as the former admitted the attitude of some Ghanaians towards work is questionable.
“We recognise there’s a challenge about attitudes to work, we are doing something about it. If you want to help, this is not the way a professor should go. There’s a way that professors can help us address some of the challenges. But they should find a nicer way, collaborative way of saying it.
“When you google Prof Adei, you will not find a single research document he has put there, it’s all about condemnations and castigations of Ghanaian workers. What is the basis to say that a Ghanaian worker is not productive?” Dr Otoo queried.