The Member of Parliament for Damongo, Samuel Abu Jinapor, has criticised the Mahama administration over what he describes as the failure to implement the proposed three-shift, eight-hour system under the government’s 24-hour economy policy, nearly a year into its tenure.
Contributing to the debate on the 24-Hour Economy Authority Bill in Parliament on Thursday, February 5, Mr Jinapor argued that the policy has yet to take practical effect across state institutions and has failed to deliver the promised jobs for unemployed youth.
He contended that the Office of the Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, is the only state institution operating a form of shift system, and even that, he noted, does not run on a full 24-hour basis.
“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,” he stated.
Mr Jinapor also opposed the proposal to establish a new authority to oversee the policy, insisting that existing institutions could adequately support job creation. He cited the Ghana Export Promotion Authority (GEPA) as an example of an agency whose mandate already aligns with export-led growth under a 24-hour economy.
“You do not need another authority to promote exports and thereby create a 24-hour economy. We already have the Ghana Export Promotion Authority, whose sole mandate is to promote exports,” he argued.
The Damongo MP further described the bill as a move that would primarily benefit political appointees rather than address widespread unemployment among the youth.
“This is another gimmick. It is meant to buy time and give false hope to the unemployed youth. This authority will only create jobs for a few—another CEO, deputy CEOs and managers—while the suffering youth from Bolgatanga to Keta, Bosome Freho and across the length and breadth of the country remain without jobs,” he said.
Mr Jinapor added that public frustration is growing over what he described as repeated promises without concrete action.
“Ghanaians are tired of hope; they want action. Nearly a year on, instead of implementing the 24-hour economy, government is asking us to create another layer of bureaucracy,” he concluded.
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