Mahama reiterates promise to introduce a 24-hour economy, in a message to mark International Youth Day 2023

The leader and 2024 flag bearer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), John Dramani Mahama, has reiterated his promise to equip the youth of Ghana with the knowledge and skills needed for a sustainable future and introduce a 24-hour economy.

In a statement to commemorate the 2023 International Youth Day, Mr Mahama, said his administration will maximise the potential of agriculture, and provide critical social and IT infrastructure to stimulate economic growth.

Below unedited is what the former president said.

On International Youth Day, I celebrate the creativity, enterprise, and passion of Ghana’s youth. I want to use this occasion to highlight the importance of our young people as the driving force of positive change and innovation.

Our youth have been key agents of change and development throughout our nation’s history. To ensure a brighter future, we must empower a generation of skilled youth, create decent jobs, and support the youth to transform our country, Africa, and the world.

Rising unemployment, increasing cost of living, and lack of opportunities have left many young people feeling hopeless and are testing their sense of patriotism to the limit.

For me, John Dramani Mahama, and the National Democratic Congress (NDC), we are committed to urgently turning this situation around by paving the way for nurturing a generation of skilled youth.

A new NDC administration will work urgently to equip our youth with the entrepreneurial knowledge and skills needed for a sustainable future. We will introduce a 24-hour economy with incentives and tax breaks for manufacturers who will run extra shifts to create more room for employment.

We will work to ease the burden of taxes imposed by this NPP administration on Ghanaian businesses and investors, which has robbed Ghana of its envious position as one of Africa’s leading destinations for investment.

We will maximise the potential of agriculture and agribusiness and provide critical social and IT infrastructure to stimulate economic growth.

Our policy priorities will imbue our young people with the “knowledge, abilities, values and attitudes needed to live in, develop and support a sustainable and resource-efficient society” — the critical Green Skills our youth need to advance a sustainable world.

People matter, and by working together, we will build the Ghana we want and put the smiles back on the faces of our young people.

Happy International Youth Day.