Mercer to partner with HR industry standardisation body in Ghana

Mercer is in the limelight in Africa yet again, this time for a strategic partnership signed with the Institute of Human Resource Management Practitioners (IHRMP) in Ghana. The agreement allows IHRMP to add Mercer’s tag to their existing IHRMP Ghana brand, and also allows exclusive access to the firm’s research.

Established in Accra in 1978, IHRMP is a lobbying and standardisation body for the HR sector of Ghana. The institute has seen the HR arena evolve over the years, from performing a purely operational and administrative function, to designing strategy and nuanced HR policies in alignment with the overall culture and ethos of an organisation.

IHRMP was formed with a number of objectives for the HR segment, including the development and maintenance of professional standards of international stature, disseminated through the market as guidelines. In addition, the body performs the dual function of providing training to young professionals, as well as offering a forum for discussion amongst established HR professionals in the country.

To this end, products on offer from the institute are professional certification programmes, continuing professional education, and HR solutions for companies looking to overcome key challenges. Each year, IHRMP also holds the HR Star award ceremony, to recognise outstanding service to the industry in categories such as learning & development, employee relations, rewards management, and a number of other areas.

Hitherto offered under the brand of IHRPM Ghana, these products will now have a global name attached to it; that of international consulting firm Mercer. The firm operates in 40 countries across the globe, employing more than 21,000 professionals and generating revenues of over $4 billion.

The firm offers consulting services in a number of areas, including health & benefits, wealth & investments, and mergers & acquisitions. Among the most prominent of Mercer’s offerings, however, is its workforce & careers vertical, wherein it offers HR-based solutions in talent strategy, executive compensation, workforce rewards, talent mobility, HR transformation, and employee communication among other provisions.

The partnership with IHRMP comes amid a flurry of activity for the firm on the African continent, including the establishment of a new hub for Francophone Africa in Morocco late last year. A month later, Mercer consolidated its HR presence in the Nigerian market through a strategic partnership with HR consultancy EZ37 Solutions.

From there, the firm went to Zimbabwe, where it signed an agreement with another talent management and consulting firm by the name of Advisory K to offer data-driven solutions. In addition to granting its brand name to products, this latest partnership with IHRMP will give the institute access to all of Mercer’s survey reports.

The President of IHRMP Ghana, Dr. Edward Kapong expressed his enthusiasm about the new partnership, particularly the access to Mercer’s research, which he believes is comprehensive. In addition, he revealed IHRMP’s plans to develop a human resource consulting practice in Ghana, and highlighted the crucial nature of the partnership with Mercer to feed the institute’s consulting services.