Talent Management Practices in Ghanaian Higher Education: Evidence from Public and Private Institutions in the Bono Region

Talent management has become strategically important to higher education institutions, yet evidence on how it is operationalised in sub-Saharan African universities remains limited. This study examined the current state of talent management practices in one public and one private tertiary institution in the Bono Region of Ghana. A positivist, descriptive cross-sectional survey design was adopted. From a staff population of 587, 240 questionnaires were proportionately distributed using stratified and simple random sampling, yielding 207 usable responses (86.3% response rate). A 19-item, five-point Likert scale assessed policy formalisation, talent utilisation, employee development, succession planning, performance management, innovation support, rewards, and empowerment. Data were analysed using item means, standard deviations, and a composite descriptive index. The overall mean of 3.23 (average item SD = 1.24) indicated a moderately established but uneven talent management system. The strongest practices were formal performance appraisal (M = 3.46, SD = 1.31), use of employees’ prior knowledge to prevent recurring problems (M = 3.37, SD = 1.18), employee voice and empowerment (M = 3.35, SD = 1.23), and immediate succession capacity (M = 3.34, SD = 1.21). By contrast, the existence (M = 2.66, SD = 1.35) and implementation (M = 2.74, SD = 1.30) of formal talent management policy were the weakest areas. The findings reveal a practice-policy gap: institutions undertake several talent-related activities, but these activities are not sufficiently integrated through a clearly communicated and consistently implemented framework. The study contributes context-specific evidence from Ghana and recommends an institution-wide talent architecture linking workforce planning, development, performance appraisal, succession, technology, rewards, and employee participation.