The Centre for Creative Leadership, Africa, (CCL) a Non-Governmental Organisation into issues of local democratic leadership has launched two books on time management to assist Ghanaians to appreciate the essence of time in their daily activities.

The books, “Workers Guide to Time Management and Productivity” - 127 pages, and the “Students Guide to Time Management and Productivity” - 143 pages, seek to help both workers and students to change their mind-set as future professionals with regards to proper time management.

Madam Bernice Adjei, the Deputy Director General, Management Development and Productivity Institute, on behalf of the Chief of Staff at the launch of the books in Accra, said the books would help provide updated data on productivity which was crucial in assisting the country in its development.

She said the books had come at the right time to create the needed awareness and educate people to be time conscious in all facets of their lives for national development.

Abdel Mannan Abdel Rahman, the Executive Director of the CCL and Author of the books, had demonstrated in them how time management had become a subject matter from top level business executives to casual workers and students.

He said if a survey on time management was to be conducted, many Ghanaians would be found guilty and therefore the books would serve as a guide for both students and workers for them to become time conscious as this had affected people in many ways.

Abdel Rahman called for re-strategising with regards to time management to enable the country maintain the productivity levels of the past.

Ms. Thelma Ohene-Asiamah, the Deputy Director, who represented the Minister of Gender, Children and Social Protection, commended the author for the books to demonstrate the importance of time management in society.

Time management, she said, was the ability to organise and plan time spent on activities, adding that, the result of good time management increased productivity and involved skills such as planning, setting goals and prioritising for better performance.

“The launch of these books is timely as it comes at a time when government and civil society organizations are aggressively advocating effective time management at the workplace to meet deadlines, produce quality work and develop oneself, Ms Ohene-Asiamah said.

She said: “It is only when these are done well, that Ghana can achieve the President’s vision of moving Ghana Beyond Aid.”

She encouraged parents to exhibit good time keeping attitude in all their endeavours for their children to emulate.

Ms Ohene-Asiamah said: “As students, you have limited time in school and therefore, I will encourage you to use the time available for your studies judiciously so as to achieve the purpose for which you enrolled in school.

She urged everyone to get copies of the books and let the content guide them as they executed their daily activities.

Dr. Mathew Opoku Prempeh, the Minister of Education, in a speech read on his behalf said, the importance of time management in all aspects of people’s lives could not be over-emphasised.

“As a country there is the need for a paradigm shift in the way people perceive and value time particularly at the labour front, because time as they say is money. This means inculcating in children the value of time and how to manage it better,” he said.

Dr Prempeh therefore, urged leaders at every level of society to attach importance in managing their time better for higher efficiency as this was high on the President’s agenda and called on everyone to patronize the books and help spread the message that time is and must be valuable to enable the country remain productive and be weaned off foreign aid.