Abdul-Nasser Suglo Alidu, the Chief Programme Officer of the 24-hour Economy and Accelerated Export Development Secretariat, has replied to Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, claiming that the ‘1-3-3’ shift model under the Mahama government flagship policy is already being implemented.
According to Abdul-Nasser Suglo Alidu, the 1-3-3 employment model under the government’s flagship policy is being piloted at some workplaces.
He disclosed that some fuel stations and firms affiliated with the Association of Ghana Industries (AGI) have begun implementing the model.
Speaking on Joy FM’s Top Story, Abdul-Nasser Suglo Alidu stated, “We have a lot of people characterising the 24-hour economy as just being about 1-3-3, and then go ahead to say every company is not operating 1-3-3 and because of that, it has failed. If you think of it as 1-3-3 businesses operating multi-shift, that is happening, so anybody who says that is not happening is being very disingenuous. Within the government sector alone, there are about eleven state enterprises that are currently doing multi-shift”.
“You know about what is happening in the petroleum sector, where about 268 fuel stations are piloting this multi-shift. Even within the AGI, there are about 33 companies today that have confirmed that they are running this. So if anybody says that is not happening, they are not looking at it,” he added.
“So it’s surprising to hear him [Bawumia] say some of the things he’s saying because he is an economist and he absolutely knows better than what he was talking about. A lot of people are trying to characterise the 24-hour economy as just being about 1-3-3, and then we go ahead to try to say, well, it’s 1-3-3; we are not seeing it. Every company is not operating 1-3-3, and because of that, it has failed. No,” he said.
The 24-hour Chief Programme Officer made this known while responding to criticism from former Vice-President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia.
Speaking at the NPP’s National Thanksgiving Service at the Church of Pentecost in Sunyani, Dr Bawumia stated, “As you can all attest, things are not going well. Things are really hard for the people. And when you ask them what they have done, they will tell you that inflation is down and the dollar is down. The reason we all want inflation and the dollar to go down is that we want it to have a positive impact and make life and the cost of living easier. But if inflation and the dollar go down and the people are suffering, is that how we want it?”.
“You cannot have a stable economy with people suffering. The stability should be a way of improving the lives of the people. So what is the use of the stability they are talking about when the people are suffering?”
Dr Bawumia added, “Have cocoa farmers benefited? They told them they will pay them 6000 cedis per bag. Has that happened? Have cashew farmers benefited? They told cashew farmers to look for land and expand their farms because they will pay them more, but that has not happened. Soybean, rice and maize farmers have all been deceived. Teachers, too, are the same. Same with nurses and doctors. Traders are also complaining because people are not buying their goods”.
“Galamsey is even worse. Maybe when they mentioned 1:3:3, they meant galamsey because galamsey has now more than tripled. Dr Sam Jonah said our river bodies now look like chocolate milk. They said they would end galamsey within one month, but they have failed”.
“They promised Ghanaians a new economy called a 24-hour economy. We have been waiting for nearly 2 years to see it, but it has not happened. Clearly they did not even understand what they were talking about. It was campaign propaganda to deceive Ghanaians. They said 1:3:3 – one job for three people, and the question Ghanaians are asking is, where are the jobs? They also promised to complete Agenda 111 hospitals, but they have failed”.
He added, “One is a paper economy – they say inflation is down and the exchange rate is down. The second economy is the pocket economy – the high cost of living and your sufferings. That is more important to the people of Ghana. The stability of the economy is meaningless if it cannot be linked to the liberation of the suffering of our people”.
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