In the previous articles of this series, attention was given to understanding the proposed 24-Hour Economy, business opportunities, leadership, financing, governance, operational readiness, and investment participation.
The series also demonstrated through a practical example (case study of LSP Fragrance), how even small and informal businesses can benefit from the policy when properly positioned. However, business expansion alone will not guarantee success under the proposed 24-Hour Economy. The availability of skilled, disciplined, and productive workforce will determine whether businesses will grow sustainably or struggle to survive.
The proposed 24-Hour Economy aims to increase production, strengthen value chains, expand industrial activity, and create sustainable jobs. These objectives cannot be achieved without a workforce that is technically competent, operationally disciplined, and prepared for modern business demands.
In this article, I will discuss workforce readiness and skills development. How SMEs can get over this, and how other stakeholders can help, because the proposed 24-Hour Economy will not only require more businesses, but It will also require better people, better supervision, and better work culture.
Why skills development matters in the proposed 24-Hour Economy
As businesses expand operations production demands will increase, factories may operate in shifts, logistics services may operate continuously, agro-processing businesses may increase production capacity, retail and hospitality businesses may extend operating hours, etc. All these require people with practical skills to be involved in the process.
The proposed 24-Hour Economy will require:
- Machine operators
- Production supervisors
- Logistics coordinators
- Technicians
- Sales personnel
- Customer service staff
- Digital operators
- Inventory officers
- Shift leaders
Without the skilled workforce mentioned above, machines will remain idle, production quality will decline, customer service may deteriorate, supervision will become weak, and operational losses will increase. The success of the proposed 24-Hour Economy depends not only on investment but also on human capital.
Ghana’s current workforce challenge
One major challenge facing many SMEs in Ghana today is the shortage of workforce readiness. The morning show of City FM 97.3, Accra, led by Bernard Avle mentioned workforce attitude during their discussion on 19th May 2026. Many business owners complain that
- Staff lack commitment
- Supervision is difficult
- Workers lack practical skills
- Customer service is weak
- Productivity levels are low
- Staff struggle with responsibility and accountability.
In many cases, employees possess certificates but lack practical workplace readiness. This creates a serious gap between education and industry needs. A person may complete school but still struggle with:
- Communication
- Time management
- Teamwork
- Customer relations
- Problem-solving
- Operational discipline
This is why the proposed 24-Hour Economy must not only produce skilled people but also productive people with the right behaviour, attitude, and work ethics.
Technical skills alone is not enough
One important issue often mentioned but ignored in Ghana’s labour market is the difference between having skills and being work-ready. A worker may know tailoring, hairdressing, building construction, welding, graphic designing, or machine operation, and yet struggle in a structured business environment, why? This is simply because every workforce requires both technical skills and behavioural skills. This means businesses need workers who should:
- Follow instructions
- Report on time
- Respect customers
- Work under supervision
- Communicate properly
- Take responsibility
- Work in teams
- Meet deadlines
- Handle pressure
- Give feedback, and a lot more.
The 24-Hour Economy will increase operational pressure and supervision demands, requiring disciplined and dependable workers.
What SMEs must do to develop skilled and productive workers
Most SMEs/businesses expect schools alone to prepare workers entirely; this is unrealistic!
Many SMEs I have interviewed unfortunately do not have a budget for STAFF TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT. Businesses should begin to see staff training and development as an investment and budget for it annually, not merely as an unnecessary expense.
If you are willing for growth as an entrepreneur, you must take the following steps in developing your staff:
1. Train Staff Continuously
Many small businesses recruit workers but provide little or no training. This must change. Even small businesses can train workers through:
- Daily supervision
- Demonstrations
- Coaching
- Apprenticeship
- Shadowing experienced workers
- Internal orientation
For example: A Sobolo producer can train assistants in:
- Hygiene
- Packaging
- Customer service
- Measurement consistency
- Stock management
A local tailor can train apprentices in:
- Time management
- Customer communication
- Quality finishing
- Delivery timelines
A fragrance enterprise can train assistants in:
- Blending
- Packaging
- Branding
- Customer relations
- Inventory handling
Every small business can become a practical training center.
2. Build Positive Work Culture
Many SMEs focus only on sales and neglect workplace culture. However, under the proposed 24-Hour Economy, work culture will become increasingly important. Businesses must intentionally build cultures based on:
- Respect
- Discipline
- Accountability
- Communication
- Responsibility
- Professionalism
Workers perform better in structured environments. Business owners must therefore lead by example. An entrepreneur who:
- report late to work
- shouts at the staff
- keeps no records
- changes instructions daily, may struggle to build disciplined teams. Leadership behaviour influences workplace culture.
3. Give Clear Instructions
One major challenge in many businesses is poor communication. Meanwhile, communication issues should be measurable and time bound. Business owners must not assume workers understand instructions when they do not. Under expanded operations and shift systems, unclear instructions create confusion, waste, and conflict. Instructions must therefore be:
- Simple
- Specific
- Measurable
- Time-bound
For example, a poor instruction will be: “Prepare the products well.” However, a clear, specific, measurable and time bound instruction will be: “Prepare 50 bottles of sobolo before 2pm, ensure all labels are properly fixed, and record quantities produced.”
Good instructions must answer:
- What should be done?
- How should it be done?
- When should it be completed?
- Who is responsible? and
- What result is expected?
This improves accountability and supervision.
4. Introduce SOPs and Key Deliverables
As businesses grow, operations should not depend only on verbal instructions. Businesses must begin introducing: Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs)
These are simple written steps showing how work should be done. Examples include:
- How products are packaged
- How customers are served
- How stock is recorded
- How money is handled
- How hygiene is maintained
Businesses must also define: Key Deliverables
This means every worker must clearly know what results are expected from them. For example:
A sales attendant may be responsible for:
- Recording daily sales
- Balancing cash every day before close of work
- Responding to customer inquiries
- Maintaining product arrangement.
A delivery rider may be responsible for:
- Timely deliveries
- Delivery records
- Customer confirmation.
Clear deliverables improve accountability.
5. Attract and retain skilled workers beyond salary
Many SMEs believe they do not attract good workers because salaries are low. While salary matters, it is not the only reason employees stay in businesses. Many workers are also looking for:
- Respect
- Stability
- Growth opportunities
- Fair treatment
- Training/learning opportunities
- Leadership support
- Safe working conditions.
Some SMEs lose good workers because:
- Staff are maltreated and insulted
- Salaries delay constantly
- Instructions are inconsistent
- Hard work is ignored
- Favoritism exists.
Small businesses can still retain good workers by creating:
- Respectful environments
- Learning opportunities
- Recognition systems
- Growth pathways
- Fair supervision.
A worker who feels valued often becomes more committed.
The Role of Schools, TVET and Training Institutions
The proposed 24-Hour Economy also places responsibility on educational institutions. Many schools still focus heavily on theory while industry increasingly demands practical competence. Training institutions must therefore move beyond churning graduates with only certificates and focus on:
- Practical training
- Industrial attachment
- Problem-solving
- Entrepreneurship
- Workplace discipline
- Digital literacy
- Communication skills
- Team collaboration
TVET institutions particularly must strengthen partnerships with businesses for students to gain real, intentional and deliberate industry exposure before graduation. This will make them labour-market ready beyond the walls of the classroom.
Apprenticeship must become more structured
Ghana already has a strong informal apprenticeship culture. This is an advantage. However, many apprenticeship systems remain informal and unstructured. The proposed 24-Hour Economy creates an opportunity to improve apprenticeship systems through:
- Structured learning
- Defined skill levels
- Behavioral training
- Customer service training
- Productivity orientation
- Digital exposure
A better apprenticeship system can become a major national productivity tool.
Digital Skills will become increasingly important
The future workforce must also become digitally literate. Every small business now require basic digital skills such as:
- Social media marketing. For example, WhatsApp Business, Instagram, Facebook, etc.
- Mobile Money operations
- Online customer engagement
- Digital record keeping.
The proposed 24-Hour Economy will increasingly reward businesses and workers who can combine practical skills with digital competence.
Conclusion
The proposed 24-Hour Economy is not only about extending operating hours or increasing production. It is also about building a productive national workforce capable of supporting sustainable economic transformation. Businesses will require more than labour/workforce. They will require:
- disciplined workers,
- skilled supervisors,
- responsible teams,
- and productive leadership.
SMEs that invest in people development, workplace discipline, technical training, and behavioural skills will be better positioned for sustainable growth. A productive economy requires productive people. The future competitiveness of Ghana’s SMEs do not depend on access to finance or infrastructure alone, but also on the quality of workforce businesses develop and retain.
Watch out for Part 8 of the 24-Hour Economy Series
Where I will discuss value chain participation and why SMEs must not operate alone.
The writer is a Business Systems, Compliance Consultant & Entrepreneur, Klient Consult. He can be reached via 0592919130, WhatsApp: 0242786566, email: [email protected]. Credit 24hplus.gov.gh
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