By Nelson Ayivor
The General Secretary of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Fifi Fiavi Kwetey, has stated that the government’s flagship 24-Hour Economy initiative is a long-term structural programme that requires careful groundwork and cannot be rolled out instantly.
Speaking in an interview on TV3, Fifi Kwetey explained that although the policy was a key campaign promise, concrete steps toward its implementation are already underway, including legislative processes and consultations with stakeholders expected to drive the programme
According to him, the secretariat leading the policy, headed by cabinet member Goosie Tanoh, has already completed important preparatory work and submitted proposals through cabinet for parliamentary consideration.
“The process has been on. Goosie Tanoh, who is in charge of that [the 24-Hour Economy Secretariat], who is a member of cabinet, has presented what you call the step that needs to be taken. And at the moment, as you know, the bill is in parliament. It came through cabinet. It is now in Parliament. Parliament will look at it. Then after that, the implementation can begin.
“Other things that need to be put in place regarding especially tax exemptions. That’s very important because all the people who need to come along need to have guarantees, especially about taxes.
“So it is not something that you can simply just do overnight. You need to make sure the foundations are in place in order to be able to bring all the people who need to come on board and do it properly.”
Kwetey stressed that beyond the legislative process before the Parliament of Ghana, the success of the policy will depend on economic incentives, particularly tax-related guarantees that would encourage private sector participation.