The Chief Programme Officer of the 24-hour Economy and Accelerated Export Development Secretariat, Abdul-Nasser Suglo Alidu, says the ‘1-3-3’ employment model under the government’s flagship policy is being piloted at some workplaces.
According to him, some filling stations and firms affiliated with the Association of Ghana Industries (AGI) have begun implementing the model, providing employment opportunities through a shift system.
“We have a lot of people characterising the 24-hour economy as just being about 133, and then go ahead to say every company is not operating 133 and because of that, it has failed. If you think of it as 133 businesses operating multi-shift, that is happening, so anybody who says that is not happening is being very disingenuous. Within the government sector alone, there are about eleven state enterprises that are currently doing multi-shift,” he said.
“You know about what is happening in the petroleum sector, where about 268 stations are piloting this multi-shift, even within the AGI, there are about 33 companies today that have confirmed that they are running this. So if anybody says that is not happening, they are not looking at it,” he added.
Speaking on Joy FM’s Top Story, Mr Alidu said the pilot demonstrated that implementation of the employment component of the 24-hour economy programme was under way.
He was responding to criticism from former Vice-President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, who accused the National Democratic Congress government of failing to deliver on its promises under the policy.
Mr Alidu maintained that participating businesses had started adopting the employment arrangement, describing the pilot as evidence that the system was working.
“So it’s surprising to hear him [Bawumia] say some of the things he’s saying because he is an economist and he absolutely knows better than what he was talking about. A lot of people are trying to characterise the 24-hour economy as just being about 1-3-3. And then we go ahead to try to say, well, it’s 1-3-3; we are not seeing it. Every company is not operating 1-3-3, and because of that, it has failed. No,” he said.
His response places the ongoing workplace trials at the centre of the Secretariat’s implementation efforts, as the government faces scrutiny over the delivery of its 24-hour economy pledge.