The recent termination of probationary contracts for nearly 100 individuals at the Bank of Ghana (BoG) has ignited public debate, but private legal practitioner Vickie Bright insists that the central bank’s decision should be respected, provided it adheres to established legal and contractual frameworks.

Speaking on JoyNews’ AM Show on Monday, June 23, Ms Bright, a former Deputy Minister of State at the Presidency under the John Agyekum Kufuor administration, emphasised the fundamental right of any employer to manage its workforce.

The Bank of Ghana recently confirmed that it had concluded a staff probation review exercise, which resulted in the non-confirmation of appointments for a portion of personnel recruited in December 2024.

This move has drawn significant attention, particularly as it follows broader directives from the Chief of Staff, Julius Debrah, earlier this year to review all public sector appointments made after December 7, 2024.

Vickie Bright, however, urged against politicising the issue—something she said is too common in Ghana’s public discourse.

“My basic starting point is that every employer has the right to hire and fire. As long as they respect the terms of the contract and the law—employment laws in Ghana,” she stated.

“According to the Bank of Ghana, they have retained more than half of the appointees of the previous government, so I would like to believe that this was genuinely done in accordance with their own evaluation processes and practices.”

The central bank has communicated that the decisions were made following “extensive reviews and evaluations” of each employee.

Letters issued to affected staff, signed by Lucy Sasu, Head of Human Resources, cited the bank’s employment terms regarding a satisfactory six-month probationary period as the basis for the action. Ghana’s Labour Act 2003 (Act 651) does not specify a maximum duration for probation but requires it to be of a “reasonable duration determined in advance” and clearly stated in the contract. Employees on probation can generally be dismissed without notice or severance pay if they do not meet performance criteria.

“They have said that they conducted extensive reviews and evaluations of each of those employees, and for whatever reason, they didn’t find them able to meet those criteria—and I’m sure that this is documented somewhere. So if anyone doubts it, they probably have the right—they should have the right—to see the reason behind their particular termination,” Ms Bright added, suggesting that aggrieved parties should seek clarity through appropriate channels.

She reiterated her stance against political interference, which she believes often hinders national progress.

“So I don’t want to politicise it because we are in the habit of politicising everything in this country. I think it’s not helping us very much. I would like to believe in the integrity of the Bank of Ghana and the Governor and say that, look, they have retained more than half of the people. So clearly, some of the people were found to be satisfactory and others were not—for whatever reason—so we just need to, like with any other employer, respect their decisions. As long as they haven’t violated the terms of the individual contracts or the labour laws of Ghana, I’m okay with that,” she concluded.

The dismissals, affecting approximately 97 individuals out of the roughly 200 staff recruited in 2024, took effect on Monday, June 23, 2025, with a month’s salary in lieu of notice.

The Bank of Ghana has maintained that this exercise is routine and part of its commitment to maintaining high professional standards and operational efficiency within the institution, which plays a critical role in Ghana’s financial stability.