John Dramani Mahama, the flagbearer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), has committed to prioritize job creation if won in the December elections.
Speaking during a stakeholders’ engagement in Fumbisi, Mr. Mahama emphasized how important it is for the growth of the nation to address the high percentage of youth unemployment.
The flagbearer acknowledged the significance of infrastructure development but said his administration would prioritize programs that generate jobs.
He outlined his proposed 24-hour economy policy, which seeks to incentivize companies to extend their hours of operation in order to generate employment.
According to Mr. Mahama, this strategy would encourage companies to add additional shifts, which would result in more job openings.
He gave the example of a pharmaceutical firm where the government would buy regionally made medications, allowing the company to expand its workforce and add more shifts.
Mr. Mahama thinks that by putting this policy into action, more young people would find work, which will help to address the urgent problem of youth unemployment in the nation.
He said, “Jobs jobs jobs, must be the priority for everybody and that is the priority for the next NDC government. Like I said we’ll do infrastructure but we are going to concentrate on the things that will create jobs for our young people. That’s why one of the policies we are introducing is the 24-hour economy. It’s a very simple thing.”
“There are businesses all over Ghana, there are new businesses that are going to come. We are asking that those businesses work longer than the usual eight-hour day, thus working from eight o’clock in the morning to five o’clock in the evening.”
“It’s happening in other places, they have the 24-hour economy programme where they give incentives to businesses to work for longer hours. If you work for longer hours, you cannot work with the same number of people for 16 hours or 24 hours.
“You have to add on additional labour so if you have a pharmaceutical factory and you’re producing drugs, first, the government will incentivise you by buying your drugs because we have a need.”
“NHIS buy drugs for the hospital so we should buy the drugs the Ghanaian factory is producing, that businessman can add on additional shifts to meet the demand and if you add on additional shifts, more of our young people will get work to do.”
Source:Mybrytfmonline.com/Joseph Asare
