Ghana's Daily Minimum Wage Goes Up 15% to GH¢25.04 (About $2.14) in January 2027

Ghana's National Daily Minimum Wage will rise to GH¢25.04 (about $2.14) on January 1, 2027, up from GH¢21.77 (about $1.86), and it will climb again to GH¢28.79 (about $2.46) on January 1, 2028. The rise for 2027 is a 15% increase in the daily minimum wage, worth an additional GH¢3.27 (about $0.28) a day for a worker on the floor rate. The National Tripartite Committee reached the deal on Tuesday, November 10, 2026. For Metaintro readers in Ghana, or anyone hiring there, the useful part is the detail behind the headline, covering who the rate protects, how casual and temporary pay is worked out under the Labour Act, and how the rise stacks up against inflation and the separate public sector pay deal.

What Did the National Tripartite Committee Agree on November 10?

The committee agreed to increase Ghana's National Daily Minimum Wage to GH¢25.04 (about $2.14) for 2027 and GH¢28.79 (about $2.46) for 2028 after negotiations among the government, employers and organised labour. The decision came in a communiqué issued in Accra on November 10, 2026, and the 2027 rate takes effect on January 1, 2027.

The deal also changes how the floor is set. The agreement covers the 2027 and 2028 wage periods and forms part of a new multi-year approach to minimum wage negotiations. The two-year framework is meant to promote predictability in wage determination, facilitate medium-term planning and budgeting, protect workers' incomes and sustain industrial harmony.

Four people signed for the partners. They were the Minister for Labour, Jobs and Employment, Emmanuel Kwadwo Agyekum, Deputy Minister for Finance, Thomas Nyarko Ampem, the President of the Ghana Employers' Association, Nana Dr. Emmanuel Adu-Sarkodee Afriyie, and the Secretary-General of the Trades Union Congress, Joshua Ansah. That spread matters for workers, because the rate is a joint agreement of government, business and labour, not a figure set by one side.

How Big Is the Rise Compared With This Year's Rate?

For 2026, the committee agreed a 9 percent adjustment to the national daily minimum wage, which stood at GH¢19.97 (about $1.71), pegging the new minimum wage at GH¢21.77 (about $1.86) from January 1 to December 31, 2026. That earlier rate was reached at a meeting held in Accra on Sunday, November 9, 2025, almost exactly a year before this one. A separate public sector pay agreement was signed on November 9, 2025, after negotiations between the Government, represented by the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission and the Ministry of Finance, and Organised Labour. At the time, Finance Minister Dr Ato Forson said the government was working to further reduce inflation from the current 8 percent.

The new deal then sets another increase of approximately 15% in 2028, adding a further GH¢3.75 (about $0.32) a day in 2028.

The previous review weighed the current economic environment, cost of living, business sustainability, and the need to promote higher levels of employment.

Who Sets Ghana's Minimum Wage, and What Does the Labour Act Say?

The power sits in the Labour Act, 2003 (Act 651). The Act sets up a National Tripartite Committee made up of the Minister who shall be the chairperson, five representatives of the Government, five representatives of employers' organisations, and five representatives of organised labour. Its first listed duty is to determine the national daily minimum wage.

The Act also tells the government how the rate must be made public. The Minister shall publish in the Gazette and in such public media as the Minister may determine, a notice of the national daily minimum wage. The committee itself must meet at least once in every three months.

The floor is a legal minimum, not a guide. For 2026 the committee warned that any employer who fails to comply with the new rate will be sanctioned in accordance with the law.

Which Workers Does the Daily Minimum Cover, Including Casual and Temporary Staff?

The Labour Act has specific rules for casual and temporary workers. Under the Act, an employer shall pay a temporary worker or a casual worker the full minimum remuneration for each day on which the worker attends work, whether or not wet weather prevents the worker from carrying on his or her normal work and whether it is possible or not, to arrange alternative work for the worker on such a day.

The Act's minimum wage rules also cover temporary workers. Without prejudice to the terms and conditions of employment mutually agreed to by the parties, the provisions of this Act in respect of minimum wage, hours of work, rest period, paid public holidays, night work and sick leave are applicable to a contract of employment with a temporary worker. A temporary worker employed by the same employer for a continuous period of six months and more shall be treated under this Part as a permanent worker.

The Act also explains how a daily rate becomes a monthly one for these workers:

• For a worker required to work on week-days only, the minimum monthly remuneration is the amount represented by the worker's daily wage multiplied by twenty-seven, and a worker on that basis is not entitled to 1/27 of his or her minimum monthly remuneration as specified in that paragraph for each day the worker is absent from work during the month.
• For a worker required to work every day in the week, the minimum monthly remuneration is the amount represented by three hundred and sixty-five times his daily wage divided by twelve.

There are exclusions. That part of the Act does not apply to piece workers, part-time workers, sharecroppers, apprentices, sea-going personnel in the fishing industry who are wage earners, and any person who works less than an average of twenty-four hours a week. The Act also requires every contract of employment to make wages payable in legal tender in addition to any non-cash remuneration.

Pay at the floor also sits alongside a wider rule on fairness. Under the Act, every worker shall receive equal pay for equal work without distinction of any kind, and a casual worker must specifically be given equal pay for work of equal value for each day worked in that organization.

The Committee urges all employers to comply with the new NDMW effective January 1, 2027, according to the Citi Newsroom report on the communiqué.

Can the 2027 and 2028 Rates Change Before They Take Effect?

They can be reviewed. The committee may reconvene to review the agreed rates if there are material changes in key economic indicators, including inflation, exchange rates and economic growth. Any change would be undertaken through tripartite consultations, guided by credible economic data and determined by consensus among the parties.

That means the GH¢28.79 (about $2.46) rate for 2028 is agreed but not locked. If there are significant changes in inflation, exchange rates or economic growth, the committee said it would reconvene in such circumstances to consider adjustments through consultations based on credible data and consensus.

The order to employers has a fixed start date. The committee directed all establishments, institutions and organisations whose daily minimum wages are below the new rate to adjust accordingly, effective January 1, 2027. It also urged employers to fully comply with the agreed minimum wage.

How Does a 15 Per Cent Rise Compare With Inflation in Ghana?

Inflation is lower than a year ago, though it has risen for three consecutive months since July. The year-on-year inflation rate as measured by the CPI was 5.5 percent in October 2026, up from 5.2 percent in September 2026, in the October bulletin of the Ghana Statistical Service. The October figure remains 2.5 percentage points below the eight per cent recorded in October last year.

Prices moved unevenly across categories. Food and non-alcoholic beverages recorded a year-on-year inflation rate of 2.8 percent in October 2026, down from 4.0 percent in September. In contrast, inflation for services stood at 11.5 percent in October 2026 up from 8.3 percent in September 2026.

Transport recorded the highest divisional inflation rate at 14.1 per cent in October, and housing, water and energy also remained a major driver, with inflation of 10.5 per cent. Prices also differ by region, with inflation ranging from -0.5 percent in the Northern Region to 9.7 percent in the Ashanti Region.

What Did Public Sector Workers Get in Their Own Two-Year Deal?

The minimum wage is set separately from public sector pay, which has its own two-year pay agreement. In October, government and labour signed a two-year public service pay agreement for the 2027 and 2028 fiscal years for public workers under the Single Spine Salary Structure, with the government represented by the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission and the Ministry of Finance.

Under that deal, public workers on the Single Spine Salary Structure will receive a 9% increase in total remuneration in 2027, 8% base pay and 1% for Conditions of Service, effective January 1, 2027. For 2028, base pay will increase by 10% across the board, effective January 1, 2028.

The public sector deal names a specific trigger. The government is projecting 8% ± 2% for 2027/2028, and the parties agreed to reconvene to review the 2028 pay if December 2027 inflation overshoots the 8% midpoint by a factor of two. The agreement includes an income protection clause, and the TUC's Joshua Ansah said the 9% for 2027 is above inflation but does not fully reflect workers' pressures.

The public deal also comes as public pay management moves from the FWSC to a new commission. The FWSC chief executive, Dr Smith-Graham, said the two-year deal ensures industrial harmony and stability during the transition from FWSC to the Independent Public Emoluments Commission (IPEC).

For the first time, we have a two-year pay agreement. It is about protecting workers' incomes and helping the government plan spending responsibly, Finance Minister Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson said in October, according to the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission statement.

Will Ghana's Minimum Wage Be Tax-Free?

That is still a request. The committee called on the government to make the National Daily Minimum Wage tax-exempt, but that is a request to the government, not a decision. The new communiqué repeats a request from the previous round, when the committee recommended that the 2026 National Daily Minimum Wage be tax-exempt, to ensure that workers benefit fully from the increment.

What This Means for Workers and Job Seekers in Ghana, and What Should You Do Next?

The first change is a two-year schedule. A worker at the floor now has agreed rates for two years, subject to the review clause, as set out above. The January rise is larger than October's headline inflation rate, and the margin is smaller against the services and transport inflation rates shown above.

The second point is that the casual and temporary worker rules set out above come from one part of the Labour Act, and that part has its own exclusions. Check whether your job falls inside it before relying on the daily-attendance rule or the six-month rule.

• Check your January pay slip. Every employer paying below the floor must adjust accordingly, effective January 1, 2027, so the first pay after New Year is the one to compare against GH¢25.04 (about $2.14) a day.
• Do the monthly maths the Act's way. For weekday-only or every-day casual or temporary work, use the two monthly formulas from the Act set out above.
• Use the rate in negotiations. A job offer close to the floor can be measured against the agreed 2028 rate, subject to the review clause.
• Look beyond the floor. Ghana is also lining up investment to create jobs and health workers have had a mop-up recruitment for nursing and pharmacy posts.

If you are comparing offers, think in take-home pay terms, and watch whether the government accepts the committee's request to make the minimum wage tax-exempt.

Lacey Kaelani, Metaintro's CEO, puts it this way: A higher floor only helps if it shows up on your pay slip. Learn the new daily rate, check your first pay after New Year, and treat the floor as your starting point when you negotiate, not your ceiling.

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People Also Asked

Q: What is Ghana's new daily minimum wage?

A: The National Daily Minimum Wage is GH¢25.04 (about $2.14) for 2027, taking effect on January 1, 2027, up from the current GH¢21.77 (about $1.86).

Q: Will Ghana's minimum wage rise again after the January increase?

A: Yes. The GH¢28.79 (about $2.46) rate will become effective on January 1, 2028, though the committee may reconvene to review the agreed rates if inflation, exchange rates or economic growth change materially.

Q: Who decides Ghana's minimum wage?

A: The National Tripartite Committee, chaired by the Minister and made up of five representatives of the Government, five representatives of employers' organisations, and five representatives of organised labour, determines the national daily minimum wage under the Labour Act.

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