Goosie Tanoh, the Presidential Advisor on the government’s 24-Hour Economy, has said the government cannot force businesses to operate the 1-3-3 shift and to operate around the clock.
According to Goosie Tanoh, the 24-Hour Economy is designed to encourage businesses to expand production voluntarily.
He further detailed that the government’s focus is to create the right economic conditions for companies to grow, invest, and employ more workers.
Speaking in an interview with the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation, Mr Tanoh explained, “If an economy is operating at full capacity, nobody is going to tell industry to do shifts. Do you understand? It is a function of capacity, it is a function of the investment regime and the incentive regime that allows companies to take the decision.
“Companies operate on the marginal. If the marginal cost of hiring more people and producing the next unit of output is less than the marginal revenue, they are not going to do it. So you can’t force anybody to do 1-3-3. What you need to do is to create an incentive and the environment that allows them to do that.”
The Presidential Advisor on the government’s 24-Hour Economy clarifications come after President John Dramani Mahama officially signed the 24-Hour Economy Authority Bill into law on Thursday, February 19.
The signing paves the way for the full implementation of the Mahama government’s flagship economic policy.
According to John Mahama, the 24-hour economy authority will now have to move from strategy to implementation following his signing of the bill into law.
Speaking after he signed the bill into law, President Mahama stated, “Cabinet colleagues, I just appended my signature to give assent to the 24-hour Authority Bill. This Bill, which Ghanaians have been waiting for, was one of our flagship strategies for economic transformation.”
“Now we must move from strategy to implementation. The business sector is waiting, Ghanaian investors are waiting, foreign investors are waiting”, President Mahama added.
He added, “They want to see the package of incentives that we can afford, so that they can invest more and expand productivity and also create more employment for our young people, and so it’s my pleasure to assent to this Bill today.”
Meanwhile, Bright Simons, IMANI Africa’s Honorary Vice President, has said the John Mahama government’s 24-Hour Economy is far bigger than Jobs.
According to Bright Simons, when the 24-Hour Economy policy is mention everyone in Ghana immediately thinks about jobs, arguing that the opposition NPP has made it about three shifts coming to every workplace.
He noted that a few people may have read the full 24-Hour Economy strategy, adding that the policy is ambitious.
Bright Simon highlighted that he does not even think the ruling NDC are fully abreast of how gigantic the scope is.
The IMANI Africa Honorary Vice President noted that for the 24-Hour Economy to work, every development partnership with Ghana must pivot and align.
However, Samuel Abu Jinapor, a member of Parliament for Damongo, has slammed the John Mahama government over its failure to implement the proposed three-shift, eight-hour system under the government’s 24-hour economy policy.
According to Abu Jinapor, nearly one year into its tenure Mahama’s tenure, the only job with people working three shifts is the Office of the Speaker, with the Speaker, the First Deputy and the 2nd Deputy rotating.
He, however, added that the Office of the Speaker does not even practice the 24-hour economy.
Abu Jinapor further noted that Ghanaians are frustrated by what he described as repeated promises without action, as the NDC flagship policy has not translated into tangible jobs for the unemployed youth.
Speaking during the debate on the 24-Hour Economy Authority Bill in Parliament on Thursday, February 5 stated, “Eleven months into the NDC administration, their flagship programme of a 24-hour economy, with the three-shift system for unemployed Ghanaian youth, the only place working some form of shifts today is the Office of the Speaker of Parliament—and even that is not a full 24-hour operation.