John Mahama
The flagbearer of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), John Dramani Mahama has said his proposed 24-hour economy remains the surest way to achieve significant economic expansion, boost productivity, meet demand, curb unbridled imports and their attendant adverse effects on Ghana’s economy.
According to him, the proposed policy, when implemented by the next NDC administration, will generate well-paying jobs for the millions of people without employment.
Speaking at the NDC LAB Policy Dialogue at Aburi last Friday, the former President, who is running for president again, said he is encouraged by the positive feedback and input the party has received on the proposal from Ghanaians in organised labour, academia, business, and industry.
“This fits in perfectly with the consultative approach informing our policy formulation. I can reveal the completion of a policy/strategy document on the proposal, which we will soon share with the people of Ghana,” he added.
Mr. Mahama asserted that the 24-hour economy policy had found resonance with most Ghanaians, especially the youth, as confirmed by both data-based and anecdotal evidence.
“This policy has offered hope to our increasingly restless and despondent population that the half measures and mismanagement they see under the Akufo-Addo/ Bawumia government, which has plunged us into suffering, will soon give way to more prudent and forward-looking programmes,” he indicated.
The NDC flagbearer stated that they are still resolved to develop the Ghana that the people desire, working with all Ghanaians to reap the benefits for “our shared prosperity.”
On the policy dialogue, ex-President Mahama said, “This policy dialogue is further proof of our desire to subject our policy proposals to scrutiny and synthesize various views to enable us to refine and fine-tune them to meet the expectations of our dear people.”
“The widespread acceptance of the 24-hour policy appears to have sent the NPP campaign into a tailspin, leading to a frantic effort to attack it through calumny and disinformation in the last few days.
“We are fortified in the knowledge that the days when the NPP assumed that they could use falsehood to hoodwink Ghanaians for electoral advantage are over, mainly because of their horrific performance in the last seven years that they were entrusted with the administration of our dear nation, Ghana,” he noted.
He acknowledged that there is no room in leadership for creating excuses and avoiding responsibility.
“You cannot make grandiose promises about the economy in 2016 only to be put in charge, run it down, push all of us into suffering and hardships and turn around to say you were only the mate of a reckless driver and, therefore, you should be excused from blame,” he contended.
According to him, not only does he have a much better and measurable performance record in both his role as Vice President and Head of the Economic Management Team, and later as President, “than my leading contender in this year’s elections, I also have a record of taking responsibility.”
He asserted that the same thing cannot be said of his opponent, Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia.
He noted that his long-espoused pledges to significantly reduce the size of government by having fewer ministries, ministers, and appointees, to abolish ex-gratia payments, abolish taxes such as the e-levy, and to carry out far-reaching constitutional and governance reforms have forced the NPP flagbearer to promise the same thing, “despite being at the centre of the poor governance” that has resulted in all of these ills.
“I mean business on my promises and intend to keep them,” he said.
By Ernest Kofi Adu