Different narratives have been given to the former president and flagbearer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), John Mahama’s proposed 24-hour economy. My, is not to attempt to rationalize or justify it but to stimulate an imagination, or recount some of the realities, of life in general in Ghana after sunset, and the promotion of a widespread economic activity in the twilight.
24-Hour economy in proposition and in practice
To bore you with reiteration, the spirit of the proposed 24-hour economy by the ex-president and his exegetists, is in the introduction of a deliberate policy intervention to encourage and support certain businesses and companies to operate 24/7, preferably in a three-shift system of 8 hours each, by creating an enabling environment that promotes productivity, competitiveness and well-paying jobs. This implies that some businesses should have to work at night i.e. after sunset.
Generally, a ‘utopian’ understanding of a 24-hour economy refers to an economic system where businesses operate around the clock, 24 hours a day. This means that people can work, shop, and access services at any time of the day or night. It is aimed at increasing productivity, providing flexibility for workers, and catering for the needs of consumers who have non-traditional schedules. This type of economy is often associated with sectors like healthcare, transportation, hospitality, and entertainment.
Thus, ex-President Mahama’s proposition is not far from Utopia, and it is a baffling sight to behold when you witness his interpreters and some followers passionately and powerfully explaining the 24-hour economy vision; gidigidi gidigidi like the “Mate” who is also fervidly and forcefully demanding a ‘Steer’ from his boss and Ghanaians – Mon fa stiya no mma me!!!
The former president in his dream intends to primarily, focus on agro-processing, pharmaceutical and manufacturing industries, construction, mining and quarrying, sanitation and waste management. Others include the leisure and hospitality industry and digital start-ups (here, the ‘over-protective’ Driver’s Mate might be eying him sardonically for mentioning anything digital). The rest but not the least of ex-President Mahama’s proposed sectors would include business process outsourcing (BPOs), financial services, retail centers and transportation services.
In the vision, the ex-president and his team recognize that for it to be successful, a 24-hour economy would have to rely on a synchronized effort among some key participants or stakeholders in the country’s economy, notably: law enforcement agencies, stable and reliable power providers, appropriate 24/7 technology providers etc etc.
Ghana Labour laws
As a matter of fact, they know that a conducive environment has to be created for uninterrupted economic activities to be accomplished, especially in the twilight. In the dream proposal, as explained so far, they plan to encourage flexibility in the labour market by introducing laws and regulations on working hours and conditions, accommodating night shifts and extended operating hours.
For now, Ghana has a certain legal framework that governs labor relations and employment practices – the Labor Act 2003 (Act 651) and the Labor Regulations. As per the Law, the maximum allowable working hours for all employees of any business are eight (8) hours per day and that there is a mandate, a directive within the Law, which stipulates that there should be a daily rest period of at least twelve (12) consecutive hours between two successive working days and a weekly rest period of forty-eight (48) consecutive hours every seven days of regular working hours. (I am sure, by now most employers are finding hiding places. Guilty as charged! Especially, FDI companies – banks, manufacturers, and hospitalities just to finger a few)
But hold on oooo! The Labour Act consolidates all laws relating to employment and is applicable to all workers and employers, excluding those in the armed forces, the police service, the prison service, and securities intelligence agencies; but when it says workers, it refers to three (3) key categories of workers – permanent workers, temporary workers, and casual workers.
So, you see, ex-President Mahama and his fellow advocates for the 24-hour economy must seek ye first, amendments in the existing Labour Act and the introduction of laws and regulations on working hours and conditions that would accommodate after-sunset shifts and extended operating hours. During these periods, Ghanaman wants to sleep oooo! J. D. Mahama & Co. Crusaders know this, and for that matter, the general public would have to buy into this dream and adjust their asleep and awake patterns, just like having to deal with jet lags. Call it recalibrations, indoctrinations, adjustments or re-alignments. But they say they want to do it. (Part-time crusaders, fighting with full-time Ghanaians. Is it a dream? ).
Other considerations for a twilight economy
In the same 24-hour pitch, they suggest that government i.e. their government if elected, needs to implement policies such as tax incentives, regulatory reforms, and financial support to cushion businesses that venture into the dark or ‘unholy’ hours.
Hospitals, clinics and pharmacies would have to stay open all day and night. The dying Metro Mass bus service must run 24/7. Banks, restaurants, fuel stations, mobile money and other essential vendors would also have to run around the clock. Fantastic! Even grandmas would not be left out, as demonstrated to some market women by a Mahama ‘polyglot’ on a campaign trail. Ambulance services would be at their beck and call 24/7. “Piiiii pɔɔɔɔɔ Piiiii pɔɔɔɔɔ Piiiii pɔɔɔɔɔ”, waaa waaa waaa, she said to the jubilation of the political dilettantes at the market place.
Interestingly, the dream also embraces collaborations between government and private sector to jointly develop and support a 24-hour economy. We hear oooo!
Idealism and Realism
Well, as per their bait, a 24-hour economy beckons, but you know what is said about dreams, right? If you dream in your sleep and do not wake up to chase after that dream, you continue to slumber. In other words, there is a clear dichotomy between idealism (romanticism) and realism i.e. able to dream and do.
Utopia, Shangri-La, Dreamland, Paradiso and Never-Never Land are all located at the ‘eastern equator’ in the brain. They are just dreams! Likewise a vibrant economic life after sunset in Ghana now is a dream awaiting to be transformed into reality. Maybe, they are perfect only on paper for now. Ghanaman is wired to mostly function after sunrise.
The idea or practice of a 24-hour economy is not novel. It exist in other countries, although not to cover all territories within the countries but selected cities and industries only. This is because of some practicalities such as time-zone differences, availability of market, labour, security, technology, transportation, emergency healthcare, food, accessibility and other considerations.
For example, United States of America, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Australia, China, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), just to mention a few countries, operate 24-hour economies within certain vibrant cities and industries. Kindly note the underlined words, and tell me now, how you are going to operate a 24-hour system at Bamayangor, Asankragua and Enchi in the Western Region, or Worawora, Katanga and Addo Nkwanta in the Oti Region. These and many similar places are dead after sunset, and so how can a proposed 24-hour economy agenda solve the entirety of Ghana’s problems?
Life after sunset in Ghana according to the gospel of folklore and reality
As a matter of fact and light-heartedly, by folktale, in Ghana, the night is not for featherweights oooo! It’s for witches, wizards, ghosts, Maame Wata, fetishes, demi-gods and semi-devils. In reality, it’s for goats and sheep, weird fouls, owls, stray dogs and cats, night crawlers (worms) and mosquitoes. The night economy is for armed robbers, some dubious police officers, land guards and illegal builders, prostitutes, bar crawlers (human beings and non-humans) and smugglers. It is also for some mad people, Sakawa boys and their girls, scrap metal thieves, highway robbers, dubious politicians and pastors, and ‘all-night’ churches (where used condoms are found in the mornings). Brave Okada riders, Uber and other booked taxi services, night Waakye sellers, wee peddlers and alcohol ‘concoctionists’ etc also prowl in the dark.
Any time after sunset, especially between midnight and 4 a.m. is associated with evil, bad and inexplicable things. That’s how the Ghanaian mind is wired. Folk culture and customs frown on certain practices at night too. You cannot go to the farm at night. You cannot whistle, sweep or bathe at some places at night. The can’t-dos at night are too many and have thrown away productivity to boogeymen and zombies after sunset in the Ghanaian economy. Even day time, people are sleeping at work, let alone night time. These are the real issues that need to be solved – correcting the many economic ills in the country in general. Before romanticizing any wholesale 24-hour proposition, re-wire the mindset! Does Ministry of Information and National Orientation ring a bell? Prez Kufour nearly got it right.
The 24-hour cacophony
Admittedly, before all the buzz about Mahama’s 24-hour economy proposal, some semblance of economic activity has existed at some places and within some industries in Ghana for years. Some banks operate 24-hour ATMs, Contact Centers, IT / Technology Pools, etc. Some Hospitals, pharmacies, fuel stations, restaurants and eateries, manufacturers and producers, and even ECG, just to mention a few, operate after sunset.
But this current 24-hour economy ‘Ebola Fever’ or ‘Corona Virus’ hype by the NDC is fast plaguing the minds of some of their campaigners and followers to the extent of doing ex-President Mahama a disfavor. It’s either they do not understand the concept or are just being mischievous. Annoyingly, everything now is ‘24-hour economy’. Greet them; “Good morning”, their response would be: “Good 24-hour economy oooo”. “How are you today?” “Ahhh, by the grace of 24-hour economy, I am fine”. “My road is very bad ooo”. “Don’t worry, 24-hour economy will fix it”. “There’s Dumsor in my area”. The response? “Whaaat? It’ll never happen in the 24-hour economy?” “Well, President Mahama is not happy kraaa”. “Don’t mind him. It’s because of the 24-hour economy ooo”. “Piiiii pɔɔɔɔɔ Piiiii pɔɔɔɔɔ Piiiii pɔɔɔɔɔ, waaa waaa waaa”. “What’s that coming?” Your guess is as good as my – “It’s the screeching 24-hour ambulance”.
Explanations given to this touted 24-hour economy proposal by some party stalwarts are disjointed. Some sound deceitful and misleading, yet they are being propagated to the chagrin of many Ghanaians.
Questionably, instead of the ‘Steer Seeker’ to enter Mahama’s dream and drive straight into the oncoming 24-hour ambulance, he’s jumping incoherently or prancing ‘problematically’ on a campaign podium somewhere, oblivious of the well-choreographed dirges being prepared for his political requiem, should he fall.
Instead of the other player, the ‘Dreaming Cheese’, the only ‘Ashanti Seaman’, crossing the oncoming 24-hour ambulance with his fleet of autographed automobiles, his is to behave like the folkloric dreamer, Kweku Ananse. Already living the dream of a king.
The only pragmatic pitching message to try and derail the 24-hour economy noise is the efforts being made by the ‘Butterflies’, whirring loud their Great Transformational Plan (GTP) to provide realistic options to industrialize and develop Ghana.
As for the rest in the game? I wonder if they can wake up from their slumber to partake meaningfully even in the sunrise economy, let alone a sunset one. ɔmo ada! x 3
By all means, dream! But overhaul the mainstream economy first
Seriously, this 24-hour economy card being waved in our faces is of national interest ooo. It brings into memory the brandishing of the ‘Free SHS’ card in the days of yore. The debate by Mahamanom was not centered on whether to implement it or not. It was rather on how and when it was to be implemented.
Likewise, there are crucial questions concerning this 24-hour economy proposal that must be raised, even by people with insomnia. Key amongst them, is how they are going to fix the economic ills within the regular economy first before any fantasy drive, because there is everything wrong within the mainstream economy of Ghana. There’s lack of skilled labour, lazy and tired work force, day-light corruption and thievery, Dumsor, water shortages, poor wages, expensive imported raw materials due to high import and other taxes, bad road networks, slipshod security, poor healthcare, weak ICT, smuggling, bad attitude towards work, lateness, skiving, outdated labour-related laws, fear of the night, nkurasesem etc.etc.
Hmmmm! Mahamanom. Here too, they have mouth ooo! They say, ‘they shall consciously promote discipline and efficiency in the already existing 8-hour work schedule in public institutions and in new additional work shifts by introducing appropriate measures to root out practices that militate against efficiency and productivity in the public sector’. “GRAMMER! Why didn’t they do this during their erstwhile reign?” One may ask.
The answer may be to demand real economic panaceas now, not political placebos!
