Ghana’s COVID-19 vaccination programme: Can Employers encourage their Employees to receive the Vaccine?

Ghana is set to begin COVID-19 vaccination from next Tuesday as part of measures to stop the further spread of the viral disease. This follows the arrival of the first consignment of 600,000 doses of the Oxford AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine, Covishield, in Accra yesterday.

Ghana’s vaccination programme is guided by the National Vaccine Deployment Plan (NVDP) for COVID-19, which targets an initial 20 million out of the 31 million estimated population, to reach a herd immunity of 60 per cent.

However, the key question many employers keep asking is how to manage the roll out of vaccines within workplaces.

Can Employers encourage their Employees to receive the Vaccine?

Yes, under the Labour Act, 2003 (Act 651), an employer owes a duty to ensure the safety and health of his or her workers in the course of the worker’s employment.

In the same vein, workers also have a duty to take reasonable care for the safety and health of their fellow workers.

These provisions therefore support the decision of employers to encourage their workers to receive the vaccine.