Human Resource (HR) professionals have been urged to prioritise continuous learning and skills development to remain relevant and effectively respond to the rapidly changing world of work shaped by Artificial Intelligence (AI), digital transformation and evolving employee expectations.
The Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana National Gas Company, Ms Judith Adjobah Blay, said the future of the HR profession would depend on practitioners who continuously upgraded their knowledge, strengthened their leadership capabilities and adopted a people-centred approach to organisational development.
Speaking through a representative at the opening of the 12th Women in HR Conference in Accra yesterday, Ms Blay stressed that HR professionals must build leadership skills, actively participate in professional networks and embrace lifelong learning to unlock the full potential of the workforce.
The two-day conference, organised by the Ghana Employers’ Association (GEA), is on the theme: ‘Reimagining, Regenerating and Leading the Human Economy.’ It seeks to amplify the voices of women driving transformation within and beyond the HR profession.
The conference is also expected to expose participants to cutting-edge ideas on workplace management while promoting ethical, inclusive and sustainable organisational growth.
It is being attended by more than 100 HR professionals from across the country.
Ms Blay observed that organisations across the world were operating in an era where AI was reshaping jobs, employees were demanding greater purpose and flexibility, and businesses were competing intensely for talent.
She said the organisations that would succeed in the future would be those that invested in their people today, explaining that employees should no longer be viewed merely as labour or headcount but as creators of value, innovators and partners in organisational success.
She urged HR practitioners to shift their focus from simply extracting productivity from employees to creating environments where people could develop their full potential through continuous learning, leadership development and improved employee well-being.
According to her, HR professionals had moved beyond traditional administrative roles to become architects of organisational culture, talent developers, strategic business partners and trusted advisers to management.
She noted that regeneration in the workplace required organisations to restore employee energy, promote mental well-being and create psychologically safe environments where innovation could flourish.
The Second Vice-President of the GEA, Mrs Victoria Hajar, said the conference had, over the past 12 years, become an important platform for women in HR to connect, learn and lead.
She said this year’s theme challenged HR professionals to rethink traditional workplace practices and build organisations where innovation and humanity co-existed to drive productivity and sustainable growth.
Mrs Hajar encouraged participants to use the conference to exchange ideas, challenge conventional thinking and develop practical solutions to emerging workplace issues, including AI, talent management, employee well-being and flexible work arrangements.
The Director of Membership Services of the GEA, Ms Yvonne Asare-Yeboa, urged participants to actively engage in discussions, strengthen professional networks and leave the conference with practical ideas and partnerships that would positively impact their organisations.
BY KINGSLEY ASARE
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