Micheal Okyere Baafi, Ranking Member on Parliament’s Trade and Industry Committee, has called on the government to apologise to Ghanaians for what he describes as a major shift in the implementation of the 24 hour Economy Policy.
According to him, the policy, which was originally promoted by President Mahama and his team ahead of the elections under a “1-3-3” model, now appears to have been changed to a “4-1-9” approach without adequate consultation or explanation to the public.
“I put it to the head of the 24-Hour Economy Secretariat that they must go back to the country and apologise to Ghanaians,” he said.
Mr. Okyere Baafi questioned the change in direction, arguing that the initial promise suggested a policy aimed at creating jobs for individuals, but the current explanation appears to frame it as a private sector-led initiative supported by incentives such as possible interest subsidies.
“What sense do you get about the policy? It is now being described as a private sector-led initiative with incentives that may include interest subsidies,” he noted.
The New Patriotic Party (NPP) Member of Parliament for New Juaben South, who previously served as Deputy Minister for Trade and Industry, made the remarks in an interview with sections of the media in Koforidua on Saturday.
He stressed that while job creation and investment promotion remain critical for the country’s development, the government must clearly outline how it intends to achieve these objectives under the revised framework.
“Government needs to do more in the area of investment promotion. They want to create jobs, but how?” he asked.
Mr. Okyere Baafi further indicated that the current explanation of the policy has left many Ghanaians confused about its actual structure and implementation.
“We are now waiting for the incentive policy. The point I’m trying to make is that we now understand a different 24-hour economy,” he stated.
