European Journal of Business and Innovation Research Vol.1, No.4, pp.20-33, December 2013 Published by European Centre for Research Training and Development UK(www.ea-journals.org) 20 EMPLOYEE WORK ENGAGEMENT AND ORGANIZATIONAL COMMITMENT: A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF PRIVATE AND PUBLIC SECTOR ORGANIZATIONS IN GHANA Collins Badu Agyemang Faculty of Management, Department of Business Administration, University of Professional Studies, Accra Samuel Batchison Ofei Faculty of Management, Department of Business Administration, University of Professional Studies, Accra ABSTRACT: Employee engagement remains a relatively virgin area especially in the Sub- Saharan region. The present study investigated employee work engagement and organizational commitment using a comparative approach of private and public sector employees in Ghana. One hundred and five (105) employees of three public and three private organizations with analogous characteristics in the Accra Metropolis of Ghana were purposively sampled. Four hypotheses were tested. Pearson product-moment correlation and Independent t-test were the statistical tools used in analyzing the data collected. The findings of the study revealed a significant positive relationship between employee engagement and employee commitment. Employees of private organizations have a higher level of employee engagement and organizational commitment than employees in public organizations, and long-tenured and short- tenured employees did not differ in commitment levels. The findings of this study are discussed with reference to the reviewed literature, Job Demand-Resources Model and Social Exchange Theory. The present study points out the need for employees to be provided with resources needed to perform their work roles since it has consequential effects on employee engagement and organizational commitment. Keywords: Employee Engagement, Organizational Commitment, Job Demand-Resources Model, Social Exchange Theory, Accra Metropolis, Ghana. INTRODUCTION Employee engagement has received a great deal of attention in the last decade in academic circles. However, the concept remains new with relatively little academic research conducted on it (Saks, 2006) especially in Sub-Saharan Africa. According to Catlette and Hadden (2001), employee engagement refers to the positive, affective psychological work-related state of mind