The Chief Programme Officer of the 24-Hour Economy and Accelerated Export Development Programme (24H+) Secretariat, Abdul-Nasser Alidu Suglo, has said the programme should be assessed by its progress in growing the whole economy, not just by the 1:3:3 shift model.
Speaking on Kessben FM on Monday, 9 November 2026, Mr Alidu Suglo said 11 state institutions, including the ports, the Passport Office and the DVLA, now operate the 1:3:3 shift model. He added that 33 private companies are running three shifts.
“We need to be more ambitious, so that we look beyond just the 1:3:3 and look at how we actually grow the whole economy,” he said. “We have it. It’s happening. But it goes beyond just the 1:3:3.”
He was responding to a video the host played of President John Dramani Mahama, recorded when he was the NDC presidential candidate, speaking on the 24-hour economy and how it would create jobs.
Mr Alidu Suglo said everything the President said in the video is what the Secretariat is doing. According to him, this includes agro-processing, manufacturing and pharmaceuticals, as well as demand stimulation, investment and energy (electricity).
He said Ghanaians should expect considerably more production as implementation advances.
“We need to be ambitious and even go beyond that,” he added.
The Chief Programme Officer added that 12 oil marketing companies and their 268 filling stations had begun operating 24 hours under a partnership with the National Petroleum Authority (NPA).
He indicated that the Secretariat had $5.5 billion in joint development agreements within an $11.5 billion pipeline. The pipeline includes the $1.45 billion Buipe solar and battery project, which is expected to cut industrial electricity costs from about 23 cents to nine cents per kilowatt-hour when its first phase starts in 2027.
On pharmaceuticals, Mr Alidu Suglo said the Food and Drugs Authority has attained WHO Maturity Level 3, allowing certified medicines to compete for international tenders. The Legon Pharmaceutical Innovation Park at Asutsuare is expected to create about 30,000 jobs.
On jobs, he said the Secretariat is working with the Ghana Statistical Service on independent research, and “the results will be there for all to see.”
The Secretariat has previously explained that the 24-Hour Economy is not a law compelling business to operate round the clock. It is a programme to re-engineer the productive economy so that it can sustain multiple shifts.
Source: 24-hour Authority
