24-hour economy: 'Ghanaians are Konongo kaya, quick to condemn anything' - Prof. Ntewusu

Director of the Institute of African Studies, Prof Samuel Ntewusu, has asserted that Ghanaians are quick to condemn any idea someone professes that will cause a positive change in the country.

He advised Ghanaians to be open-minded and give chance to people to implement their ideas and see whether or not they will be fruitful before criticising.

Prof Ntewusu wondered why some people are condemning NDC flagbearer, John Dramani Mahama's 24-hour economy proposal.

In an interview with JoyNews on the sidelines of Anton Wilhelm Amo Lecture held on Tuesday, Prof Ntewusu said, “I think in Ghana we are very quick to condemn anything that somebody wants to bring on board. It is not good for the development of the country.

"Even if you meet someone on the streets and the person says ‘I have this idea,’ do not be quick to dispense that person’s proposal. Allow the person to try out what he has in mind. If it doesn’t work out, then you know that that doesn’t work".

"So if Mahama says he is going to roll out the 24-hour economy, he hasn’t even started, and people have started condemning it. I am not saying this in support of a particular party; I am saying that we Ghanaians and Africans are almost like ‘konogo kaya’ we cannot carry, and we will not let anyone else carry. And we’re very quick to rejoice when somebody fails rather than support that person to succeed,” the professor stressed.

John Dramani Mahama made known his intention to introduce a 24-hour economy when voted back into office as the President of Ghana in 2024.

The move, he said will breathe fresh life into the ailing economy which is currently under an IMF bailout programme.

What is the 24-Hour Economy?

The 24-hour economy is an economic strategy that involves putting measures in place to ensure that businesses across various sectors in an economy operate both at night and in the day.

In other words, there would be a night economy and a day economy.

The 24-hour economy will also be in a three-shift system of 8 hours each, by creating an enabling environment that promotes productivity, competitiveness and well-paying jobs.

The strategy is aimed at ensuring that the economy is as vibrant during the day as it is at night so as to create more employment opportunities.

So essentially, businesses are to put measures in place to ensure that they are in operation every hour of the day. These measures include employing more staff and running a shift system.

Since John Mahama mentioned introducing it, he has faced vehement criticism and commendation from some sections of the public.

SA/MA

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