Presidential hopeful John Dramani Mahama has revealed his strategy for introducing a 24-hour economy in Ghana, should he win the December elections.
Speaking at the NDC Town Hall Meeting, “Conversations With Mahama”, held at the Bukom Boxing Arena in Accra, Mahama outlined a phased approach to implementing the policy.
According to Mahama, state institutions and agencies would be the first to transition to 24-hour operations, paving the way for the private sector to follow suit voluntarily. To encourage participation, incentives would be offered to businesses that adopt the extended hours.
“It [24-hour Economy] is not going to be one night event, it is a process and voluntary. On the part of government, we have what we control…For instance, we can ask Customs to start working 24 hours because it is a state agency.
“We can ask the port to work 24 hours so that people can clear their goods at any time in the day or the night…Anything to do with state agencies, we can do 24 hours because we control that.
“With regard to manufacturing and [private] businesses, it is voluntary; you cannot go and compel people and say, by this day, you must start working three shifts; so, you have to give them incentives,” he noted.
Mahama proposed offering low-interest loans and tax waivers to private businesses, enabling them to expand production and hire more employees.
“It is not going be an overnight thing but we will start the process and it is our hope that we will go far with it in four years and any government that comes, can continue with the policy.” Mr Mahama stated.
The NDC’s “24-hour Economy” campaign promise aims to boost Ghana’s economic growth and create youth employment opportunities.
During the “Mahama Conversations” event, coinciding with International Youth Day, presidential candidate John Mahama engaged with young people, outlining his vision for the 2024 election.
He reaffirmed his pledge to scrap certain taxes, including the betting income tax, COVID-19 Levy, and E-levy introduced by the NPP government.
Mahama assured that his administration would explore alternative revenue streams to offset the resulting shortfall.
He emphasized his commitment to creating jobs in various sectors, reducing the reliance on security services as a sole employment option for young people due to limited opportunities.
