The Member of Parliament for Damongo, Samuel Abu Jinapor, has taken aim at the Mahama-led government, accusing it of failing to roll out the promised three-shift, eight-hour work arrangement envisioned under the 24-hour economy agenda, almost a year after assuming office.

He contended that the initiative has seen little to no application within public institutions, adding that the Office of the Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, appears to be the only state body operating any form of shift structure—and even then, he said, it falls short of round-the-clock operations.

Speaking during parliamentary discussions on the 24-Hour Economy Authority Bill on Thursday, February 5, Mr. Jinapor argued that the much-touted policy has yet to produce real employment opportunities, particularly for young people, despite nearly a year of governance by the National Democratic Congress administration.

“Eleven months into the NDC administration, their flagship programme of a 24-hour economy, with the three-shift system for unemployed Ghanaian youth, the only place working some form of shifts today is the Office of the Speaker of Parliament—and even that is not a full 24-hour operation,” he stated.

Mr. Jinapor further rejected the proposal to set up a separate body to manage the 24-hour economy, insisting that current agencies, including the Ghana Export Promotion Authority, already possess the capacity to drive export-focused employment initiatives. The Damongo legislator claimed the bill appears designed to open up opportunities for party loyalists rather than provide solutions to the growing unemployment challenge facing young people. He added that many citizens are increasingly disillusioned by what he described as constant assurances from government that have yet to be matched by concrete results.

“You do not need another authority to promote exports and thereby create a 24-hour economy. We already have the Ghana Export Promotion Authority, whose sole mandate is to promote exports,” he asserted.

“Mr. Speaker, this is another gimmick. This is another deception. It is meant to buy time and give false hope to the unemployed youth. This authority will only create jobs for a few—another CEO, deputy CEOs, and managers. It will not affect the suffering unemployed youth from Bolgatanga to Keta, Bosome Freho, and across the length and breadth of this country,” he said.

“Ghanaians are tired of hope; they want action. Young men and women in this country cannot find jobs. One year down the line, instead of implementing the 24-hour economy, they are asking us to create another bureaucracy,” he added.