If there is no demand, companies will not be able to run 24-hour economy, a political scientist at the University of Ghana, Dr Joshua Jebunie Zaato, has said.
Dr Zaato makes the point that incentives alone are not sufficient to operate a 24-hour economy.
A key aspect of the 24-hour policy as launched by the government is the provision of incentives to organisations that will subscribe to it. These incentives have been spelt out in the policy that was launched by President Mahama on July 1.
However, speaking on the Key Points on TV3 Saturday, July 5, Dr Zaato said, “Incentives alone are not sufficient to operate a 24-hour economy. there must be the need for the service being rendered by the organisation to warrant a 24-hour operation.”
Mr Zaato contended that, “Ghanaians are rather interested in how this policy will address unemployment because that was the main selling point of this policy.”
His concern is that during the 2024 election campaign, the National Democratic Congress (NDC), which has now formed government, touted the slogan, “one job, three shifts”. But the policy as launched, is silent on that.
The CEO of the National Petroleum Authority (NPA), Godwin Edudzi Tameklo, responded that the three shifts system is very much part of the newly launched policy.
“DVLA has started operating 24-hour service at its Adenta office,” he cited.
Reacting to Dr Zaato’s assertion that the policy is not nationalistic, Eduzi said that stakeholders were consulted by the secretariat before the launch was done by the President.
“President Maham reached out to experts and CSOs on how to roll out the policy,” he added.
For his part, Private legal practitioner, Martin Kpebu, urged the government to accept criticisms from people who will point out the challenges in the implementation of the 24-hour programme.
He noted that the feedback will help the government to fine-tune the initiative.
“The criticisms are good, they serve as feedback,” he said on the Key Points on TV3 on Saturday, July 5.
He has further asked the 24-Hour Economy Secretariat to provide periodic updates on the progress of work.
He says this will help Ghanaians track the effectiveness of the programme and also provide feedback.
“Maybe every six months, we should get an update from the 24-hour secretariat to see the progress of work and give feedback,” he said.
Kpebu also described the programme, especially the ‘no import duty’ on renewable energy supplies, as stellar.
“It is a masterstroke,” he said. “The incentives for the policy are classic,” he added.
He further stated that “we have no option but to reduce our consumption of oil and up consumption of renewable energy.”
President Mahama officially launched the 24-Hour Economy and Accelerated Export Development Programme, a transformative economic policy to revive Ghana’s economy.
Delivering a speech at the launch of the 24-hour policy on Wednesday, July 2, the President noted that the initiative is more than a mere policy.
He noted that the Programme is a carefully drafted policy to reset the nation and unlock Ghana’s full productive potential.
“This is more than a policy initiative, it is a national reset, a bold strategic shift to unlock our country’s full productive potential.
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“Today, we reclaim our founder’s vision of a self-reliant, industrious and inclusive African nation that works with its creativity and ensures prosperity for all,” he stated.
President Mahama explained that the policy is a bold and coherent approach needed to dismantle the silos of past policies.
“The 24-hour plus programme is that collective answer. And so we have moved from to slogan to strategy today.
“This launch is not the end but the beginning of a national mobilisation,” he stated.
He emphasised that the 24-hour programme is not only about extending working hours but an opportunity to unleash productivity, accelerate exports through well-structured multi-sectoral and inclusive interventions.
The programme, a flagship initiative of President John Dramani Mahama’s administration, seeks to re-engineer the country’s productivity architecture by extending economic activity beyond conventional hours and integrating key sectors into a seamless value chain.
With a projected cost of $4 billion, the government is committing between $300 million and $400 million as seed capital to bridge viability gaps and catalyse private sector investment.
The 24H+ programme is positioned as a nationwide economic agenda, with the goal of creating 1.7 million quality jobs within four years.
It targets strategic value chains in agriculture, manufacturing, pharmaceuticals, textiles, infrastructure, and logistics.
The initiative is designed to harness the potential of every Ghanaian, every hour of the day, and reduce reliance on imports while boosting exports.
The programme is presented as nine individual documents: a “Full” report and eight subprogramme reports. The “Full Report” covers the content of the other eight. Each of the remaining eight documents focuses on a specific subprogramme (Grow24, Make24, Build24, Show24, Connect24, Fund24, Aspire24, and Go24).
