The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA), Mrs. Delese A. A. Darko, has charged all staff of the Authority to be disciplined with time management because that has a direct impact on productivity.

Mrs. Darko made this remarks on Thursday, 15th August, 2019, during a ceremony to sign the Punctuality Pledge Form in Accra. Mrs. Darko said she did not hesitate on accepting the invitation to endorse this worthy cause being championed by the Punctuality Ghana Foundation because the culture of lateness which has become ingrained in our society has been one of the major obstacles that continue to stifle national development.

She further mentioned that as the corporate world continues to evolve and become more competitive, the FDA and Ghana at large is left with no option than to demonstrate credibility and responsibility in dealing with its clients and corporate partners.

She therefore reiterated that in the spirit of the FDA’s rebranding there was the need to call for an improvement in the attitude of all staff to ensure that the agency’s mandate is met. It for this reason that the FDA is partnering with the Punctuality Ghana Foundation to further raise the standard for the FDA to be cited as an example of a punctual organization.

The Lead Crusader for the Punctuality Ghana Foundation, Mr. Emmanuel Amarquaye, on his part stated that workers in the public and civil services are being encouraged to be punctual and productive since it is the sure way to achieving Ghana’s economic prosperity.

Mr. Amarquaye therefore noted that the Foundation is currently focused on public education especially among the youth and also to facilitate and deepen the sense of being punctual to work in government businesses. He further said their objective is aimed at sensitizing government workers to adopt and adapt themselves to practices that promote punctuality as a way of life in their dealings.

According to him, punctuality has a unique way of minimizing corrupt practices since it is self-correcting and self-supervising. He noted that Ghana can use technology to drive punctuality, development and productivity and this will enable us eliminate the canker of lateness in public institutions which is causing the nation to lose millions of cedis.

The Project Co-ordinator, Ms. Naa Meryeh Mettle emphasized that the Foundation selected the FDA as one of the endorsers of their public education campaign because the issues of public health and safety is a prime concern for all.

Miss Mettle reiterated that punctuality is linked with productivity which has the potential of boosting government revenue. She further stated that the government’s policy of lifting “Ghana Beyond Aid” will be fruitless if the poor attitude to work and time does not change substantially for the better.

FDA’s signing of the Punctuality Pledge Form marks the 23rd endorsement of the public education awareness campaign on punctuality.