The 24-Hour Economy, A Bold Vision With Wet Feathers, The Way Forward

After the buoyant launch of the programme, it has no doubt sunk under the weight of reality. The only two things holding the programme up positively in the public mind now are the aura and good will of the President Mahama and the credibility of Goozie Tanoh whose bulging army at the 24-Hour Secretariat are gradually turning into bureaucrats. They are supposed to be thought-to-actions army.

The most widely known criticism of the programme is the that; “you cannot introduce night economy by government fiat. Rather, it must be driven by economic and market forces….it must be organic.” This have been answered away by “words”, but the reality is that all government agencies who have launched the 24-hour operation, have done so because there is the demand for services beyond the normal day working hours.

To do otherwise is to employ now staff with no work for them. It would be politically expedient for the government but a complete waste of financial resources. Those who rushed to score political points like GIHOC have come face to face with economic reality and are abandoning night shifts.

The private sector could provide key indicators for the success of the 24-Hour Economy. For years, enclaves in Tema, Accra industrial area and many across the country have been driven by market demand to operate a 24-hour operation. In all these sectors, at least the fifty I surveyed, customer demand has been the basis for running three shifts a day.

President Mahama has presented the 24-Hour Vision as a coherent anchor to his second term of office. Supported by the Big Push the Mahama government has concluded the framework within which it has decided its second government should be assessed by history.

Is it a good strategy to affirm your whole manifesto agenda and put it out there to an uncertain public? Well, sometimes, no strategy is good or bad until it has run its course. If he succeeds, it would be a great strategy. Otherwise, it would deem as too risky to have shown his vision too early in concrete terms. A hopeless gamble. Yet, many good leaders have taken this path. Present your vision early in concrete terms and let it direct your course.

If he succeeds, Mahama would find himself up there close to Nkrumah. To me his success could be determined from many fronts. One of them is the courage to say; “this is the economic and industrial plan I want my government to be remembered for.” In our political environment, leaders present manifestos as election rituals only for them to come to office and do as they wish and turn round to hope and pray for success.

In this brief analysis, the Big Push and the Volta Basin Agro Industrial Corridor have been left out of consideration for another day. My focus is to provide itemised points for the success of the vision. In its current state, it looks stalled.

The 24-Hour Economy proposes that many sectors of Ghana’s economy operate three 8-hour shifts. Furthermore, public institutions with high customer traffic such as ports and harbours, passport office, customs, the DVLA are singled out for early adoption with incentives such tax incentives, cheaper electricity (off-peak tariffs), improved infrastructure (power, security, lighting) and regulatory or legal reforms to enhance the business environment.

Part of the objectives of the programme as espoused by the government through the secretariat is to create jobs, especially for the youth, by adding shifts and extending operating hours; boost productivity, better utlise existing infrastructure, increase output and transform Ghana into more of an export-led, value-added economy rather than purely raw materials. To an extent, these objectives are lousy if not wishful. An export led and value-added economy require a more technical and energy foundations which the programme has neither acknowledged nor indicated to address.

These aspirations are sound reasons difficult to refute. Suffice to say, the implementation on a large scale is the challenge now. There is no local data on night economy to drive nationwide implementation.

As a private sector funded, funding source is also not secured. The Bank of Ghana through the governor has promised to leverage its monetary policy tools to “control inflation, stimulate economic growth and maintain price stability.” The Governor believes that “with stable inflation, the Central Bank can adjust interest rates downwards” to enhance access to credit from financial institutions.

These are irrigating statements to any politician with timelines hanging around his neck. When would the BoG start leveraging the monetary policy tools? How long would it take for these tools make effect in the real economy? Six, twelve or eighteen months? When would these tools stabilise inflation? At what level would inflation reach to make it conducive to pull general funding to the programme? How many financial institutions have signed on to lend to the programme? How much have their governing Boards set aside towards the programme in the short to long-terms? What are the qualification criteria? Would there be government guarantees? How affordable would the funds be? Would payment of credit facilities be long- term? These questions are critical to the success of the vision. Due to the special nature of the programme, and the culture of lending in the country, it would be impulsive to leave the funding source to market forces and the general financial environment.

The above questions are essential for the private sector arm of the programme which is at the heart of the 24-Hour Vision.

The government has imposed an Implementation plan on itself. This imposition even though commendable is not an end though. The first, which was to move beyond campaign slogan and put everything in a policy strategy has been largely achieved. The second is 24-Hour Authority Bill which would seek to give legal tenure to the preprogramme and thirdly, rollout of the various arms of the vision.

Commendable as the above steps are, the trust of the programme is not the public sector. It is rather the private sector. Practical roadmap specific to the private sector would be the variable which would ensure the success of the Vision.

The Way forward

1. The first step is the give the programme a solid “institutional backroom and oversight.” This would be important for governance, coordination and accountability. Institutional leadership and performance oversight would be critical to the success of the programme. This would be a coalition involving the Ghana Police, National Security, GIPC, GEPC, Ministry of Finance, Banking and Insurance sector players, the GRA, Ministries of Energy, Interior, Transport, Employment, and Local Government. It would be their duty to develop KPIs to include; Jobs created, Energy reliability, crime reduction in pilot areas, SME participation rate and GDP and productivity growth contribution.
2. The appointment of a 24-Hour Economy Commissioner, one step below Goozie Tanoh to handle management and operational aspect of the vision whilst Mr. Tanoh handles policy and ‘politics” of the programme. This would be the natural second consideration to point 1 above.
3. There must be reliable infrastructure as the foundation to ensure uninterrupted power, transport, communication, and water supply to support continuous production and service delivery. On the energy front, this would require a reorganisation of GRIDCo distribution systems to provide dedication power to industries. This could be achieved through the following actions;
   1. Guarantee 24/7 power supply through grid stability, backup systems, and investment in solar and natural gas generation.
   2. Incentivize businesses to adopt renewable or hybrid energy systems to reduce cost and grid load.
   3. Expand 24-hour transport services in major urban centres (Accra, Kumasi, Takoradi, Tamale) with night buses, rail, and safe taxis. Existing services such as VIP terminals would need security boost for their operations.
   4. Maintain key industrial and logistics corridors (Tema–Accra–Kumasi; Takoradi–Ahafo) with security patrols, and road maintenance.
   5. Strengthen internet connectivity and mobile network coverage to 24-Hour Centre to enable round-the-clock security infrastructure, e-commerce, banking, and logistics.
4. Security and public safety should be positioned as a critical element to make night-time work and movement safe for citizens and investors. These could be achieved through;
   1. Establishing Night-Time Policing Units in key cities with visible patrols, rapid response, and CCTV monitoring.
   2. Improve street lighting, especially in industrial areas, highways, and markets centres.
   3. Partner with private security companies for industrial and commercial zones.
   4. Encourage community/economic zones policing to improve trust and local intelligence at night.
5. Labour and workforce readiness to prepare Ghana’s workforce to operate efficiently, safely, and fairly under shift and night-time work systems. This readiness is key to positioning the mindset of workers through reviewing and updating labour laws to define, night shift allowances, maximum night hours and rest periods and overtime and safety obligations. Furthermore, the programme must establish night-shift welfare programmes through subsidised night transport, healthcare screening, and safety training. The programme should partner with TVET institutions to train workers for 24-hour sectors in manufacturing, ICT, logistics, hospitality, and healthcare. Companies should be encouraged to adopt flexible shift systems and digital time-tracking to manage productivity and fatigue.
6. Targeted economic incentives which reduces costs and risks of extended operations to the private sector through tax breaks or rebates to firms that adopt 24-hour operations, especially in export, manufacturing, logistics, and agro-processing. Additionally, providing low-interest credit and energy subsidies for SMEs adapting to night shifts would be critical beyond the pilot phase. As a long- term measure, government could designate “24-Hour Economic Zones (24EZs)” for specific industrial parks or urban districts with full infrastructure, energy, and security support. These centres would be the pilot zones to provide data for mass rollout.
7. Phased and sectoral implementation is the safest bet in implementing the programme. Thus, the programme should be rolled out gradually, learning and adapting from pilot programs over time. Phase 1 from years 1-2 could focus on ports (Tema, Takoradi), manufacturing, logistics, hospitals, markets, pubs and hospitality. Pilot cities could be Accra, Kumasi, Takoradi, and Tamale. Phase 2, beginning from years 3-5 would be expansion to retail, banking, and education support services and finally Phase 3, beginning with years 5 and beyond, would be full integration into national economic strategy. For this to be effective, the secretariat would have to develop and implement performance metrics and regular impact evaluations for each pilot phase.
8. Energy efficiency and sustainability is critical in balancing continuous activity with sustainable and affordable energy use. In achieving this end, it is important to incentivise businesses to install solar rooftops, LED lighting, and energy-efficient machinery; promote off-peak electricity pricing to encourage night-time industrial activity (load balancing for ECG/VRA); develop industrial symbiosis models — where energy “waste” from one factory powers another and integrate the 24-Hour Economy into Ghana’s Energy Transition Plan (ETP).
9. Urban Planning and Zoning in essential in the medium to long-term goals of the 24-Hour Economy. Aa as result, ECG, and GRIDCo should design urban and commercial areas for safe and vibrant night-time activity. For practical purposes, the Secretariat should create “Night-Economy Districts.” These would be areas with extended licenses for restaurants, markets, entertainment, logistics depots; enforce noise, waste, and safety regulations to maintain liveability and plan mixed-use zones to keep housing, workspaces, and services accessible and balanced.
10. Intra-city public transport and mobility should guarantee safe, affordable, and continuous mobility for workers and customers operating within the night economy. The Secretariat should seek to extend the Metro Mass and Ayalolo bus services into late hours. Furthermore, partnership should be secured with ride-hailing companies like Bolt, Yango, Uber and signed-on taxis for secure night mobility with regulated fares. There is also the need to, in the medium term, improve rail and cargo logistics to run 24/7, reducing port congestion and road traffic. This service must go hand in hand with dedicated security infrastructure to ward off or contain armed robbers and eventualities. Another important action would be to introduce night parking and safety regulations for truck drivers and delivery operators. The GPRTU and VIP terminal owners, transit eateries such as Linda Dor should be firmly brought on board to guarantee the success of the programme.
11. Cultural and social integration is also central for public acceptance of the programme. As it is today, political and partisan polarisation have made the policy NDC-Party programme as National Health Insurance Scheme was an NPP-Party Programme in 2023. This unhealthy undercurrent seems to undermine a programme partly funded by the taxpayer. To avert such a fate, there is the need to build public acceptance and participation in the 24-hour Vision. This could be done through generic actions such as running public awareness campaigns on opportunities, safety, and benefits of 24-hour systems; encouraging entertainment, food, and creative sectors to develop vibrant but safe night-life economies; integrating women’s safety and participation measures; ensuring equitable access to night jobs and mobility and support local community engagement to minimise resistance due to noise, congestion, or cultural discomfort.
12. Data, innovation and continuous learning mindset should be adopted to utilise data and technology to monitor performance, ensure accountability, and improve operations. In achieving this, the secretariat should build a “National 24-Hour Economy Dashboard” to track jobs, energy use, safety incidents, and economic output in real time. Support should be extended to universities, research institutions and think tanks such as ISSER, CEPA, and CSIR, etc to research night-time economics and publish impact reports. Additionally, the programme could utilise digital platforms for worker registration, shift tracking, and incentive management across sectors and continuously revise policy based on evidence and community feedback.
13. The 24-hour economy must benefit all. Not just large firms or urban elites but all citizens. Thus, inclusivity and equity should be a key pillar of the programme. The Secretariat should provide training and credit to market women, SMEs, and artisans adapting to extended hours. It should also improve night market infrastructure (lighting, toilets, CCTV cameras, armed security); support rural agro-processing hubs to run at night when power and logistics allow and ensure gender-responsive policies such as safe transport, maternity provisions, and equal pay.

Conclusion

The success of Ghana’s 24-Hour Economy depends on coordinated implementation, reliable infrastructure, strong governance, and an inclusive approach. With clear incentives, sustainable energy, and robust worker protection, Ghana can lead West Africa in building a modern, resilient, and competitive 24-hour economy.

There are no safe short-term paths for the implementation 24-Hour vision.

Realistically, the government needs close to seven years to develop the 24-Hour Economy and integrate it fully into the national economy. The government must therefore be patient with its implementation. It would take time for the infrastructure to be in place for is implementation. The legislative framework, which is assumed to be straightforward is taking close to half a year. Now that the Vision has been codified, the government must take the programme out of the hands of politicians and hand it over to technocrats and give them realistic timelines to work within. Rushing the programme for political expediency would affect the success rate and sustainability of the Vision.

ARNOLD BOATENG
Author / Consultant
T: 0209830546 E: arnoldboateng@gmail.com

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