The flagbearer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), John Dramani Mahama, has promised to prioritise job creation if elected in the December polls.
Speaking at a stakeholders’ engagement in Fumbisi, Mr Mahama emphasised that addressing the high rate of youth unemployment is crucial for the country’s development.
While acknowledging the importance of infrastructure development, the flagbearer stated that his administration would focus on initiatives that create employment opportunities.
He highlighted his proposed 24-hour economy policy, which aims to encourage businesses to operate longer hours, thereby creating more jobs.
Mr. Mahama explained that this policy would incentivise businesses to add more shifts, leading to increased employment opportunities.
He cited the example of a pharmaceutical factory, where the government would purchase locally produced drugs, enabling the business to add more shifts and hire more workers.
Mr Mahama believes that by implementing this policy, more young people will gain employment, addressing the pressing issue of youth unemployment in the country.
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.”
