Accra: The National Democratic Congress (NDC) has clarified that its '1-3-3 jobs' slogan, which gained significant attention, was intended as an illustrative statement for the party's 24-hour economy policy and not as a concrete campaign promise to generate jobs in that specific format.
According to Ghana Web, Member of Parliament for Tamale Central and a member of Parliament's Works and Housing and Finance Committees, Prof Seidu Mahama Alidu, addressed this issue during an appearance on the GTV Breakfast Show on Tuesday, September 1, 2026. Prof Alidu emphasized that the NDC did not commit to creating '1-3-3 jobs.' Instead, the phrase was used in the 2024 election campaign to explain how the proposed 24-hour economy policy could function.
His remarks came amid discussions on the government's implementation of the 24-hour economy policy, following inquiries from former Suame Municipal Chief Executive, Maxwell Ofosu Boakye. Ofosu Boakye had questioned the government about the status of what he termed the NDC's '1-3-3 jobs' promise.
In his commentary, Ofosu Boakye argued that the promise was included in the NDC's 2024 manifesto and policy messaging related to the 24-hour economy. He described the system as one where a job could be divided into three shifts to be performed by three different individuals. 'Let us not trivialise the argument. You promised giving Ghanaians a 1-3-3 job,' Ofosu Boakye stated.
Prof Alidu, however, firmly rejected this interpretation, asserting that the phrase did not amount to an official policy promise. 'In which policy report? No, no, I won't let you go with this. It was a statement that was made in an explanation,' he retorted.
Even a subsequent intervention by the host did not change Prof Alidu's stance, as he reiterated that the '1-3-3' phrase was meant to elucidate the concept of the 24-hour economy rather than act as a separate employment commitment.