The Member of Parliament for Tamale South, Haruna Iddrisu, has emphasised that Ghana is in crisis and requires a reset, not an upgrade.

According to him, the Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo administration cannot deny the crisis, which includes unsustainable debt, high costs of living, and growing unemployment.

Speaking on Joy News on Wednesday, August 28, 2024, he noted that the Flagbearer of the National Democratic Congress, John Dramani Mahama, is committed to reseting some aspects of the economy.

“You, like many others, have failed to ask the momentous question. What is the state of our republic. It is a country in crisis. As admitted by the president of the republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, and his running mate, Dr. Bawumia, they all admit and cannot deny it that our country is in a state of crisis.

“In a state of crisis, do you upgrade, do you upgrade unemployment? Do you upgrade cost of living? Do you upgrade cost of doing business? Do you upgrade the growing unemployment and hopelessness? Certainly not, you will reset.

“So, President John Dramani Mahama is saying that I am coming to reset aspects of our national life, to reset the economy, a country with a crisis with debt that is unsustainable. You have the cost of doing business, which is at it’s highest epic in our nation’s history, and the cost of living, the worst crisis in the country’s history, you only reset, so President Mahama was punctuating what he is seeking to do with the economic stimulus of the 24-hour economy. There are those who said that he cannot legislate the 24-hour economy, including Dr. Bawumia, that appeared to mean that he probably ought to have read more," he stated.

He said legislation would be required for the 24-hour economy to be effective.

“What you will need to legislate is the labour act, Act 815. You need legislation. You will need legislation so that if working hours are from 8:30 AM. To 4:30PM, and you have a shift from 4;30 PM, you have additional eight hours and it starts with the reset of the public sector. The public sector must lead in providing it.

"The security agencies must be available to protect the security of businesses, and President Mahama announced that he would provide incentives for the private sector to partner with him to build the economy," he explained.

The 24-hour economy is a deliberate policy intervention by the next NDC government to encourage and support certain businesses and companies to operate 24/7, preferably in a three-shift system of 8-hour search, by creating an enabling environment that promotes productivity, competitiveness, and well-paying jobs for Ghanaians.

JKB/AE

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