National Coordinator of 24 Hour Economy Programme, Mr. Goosie Tanoh, in a handshake with Speaker of Parliament, Rt Hon Alban Bagbin at a meeting to officially present the 24-hour economic policy | June, 2025

Ghana’s Parliament has passed a landmark legislation institutionalising the 24-Hour economy programme of the government. The law which concluded the stages of legislation on Friday seeks to establish a bureaucracy that will see to the coordination and implementation of the flagship programme in promoting accelerated export development. The 24-Hour Economy and Accelerated Export Development Programme, part of the Mahama administration’s commitment towards industrialisation and job creation, is a national economic transformation strategy aimed at enhancing productivity, promoting inclusive growth, and establishing a coherent and consistent framework for long-term national development. The programme represents a deliberate government intervention designed to address persistent structural weakenesses within the country’s production economy and to reposition Ghana on a sustainable growth trajectory.

Addressing the press on the day of the passage of the 24-Hour Economy Authority Bill, House Majority Leader and Leader of Government Business, Mahama Ayariga (MP, Bawku Central) hailed the legislation as a major milestone in the development agenda of the government that made a promise to transform the economy that will provide jobs and economic livelihood to Ghanaians particularly the teeming youths who yearn for gainful employment around the clock. “If the country is working 24-hours it will mean that we need more labour to be able to work 24 hours”, he said

“The idea behind this is to create jobs and opportunities for our youthful population many of whom have graduated from universities and because the economy has been bad for the past eight years, jobs were not being created indeed jobs were flying out of the country because the excess taxation that we saw, the financial crisis that we saw, high inflation that we saw, the volatile currency situation that we saw led to many factories opting to leave the country to go and relocate to places where there was better stability, and so many people were left unemployed.”, he added

The Bill now on the way to President Mahama for assent is made up of 28 clauses each spelling out the functions of the yet-to-be established Authority with the coming into force of the Act. Currently, the 24-hour economy and accelerated development programme is being operated by a secretariat at the Office of the President. Meanwhile, the majority leader on Wednesday formally tabled a policy document around the 24-hour economy for the consideration by Parliament. A full debate and adoption of the policy to take place at an appointed date. However, in the lead up to passing the Bill, Members of Parliament debated the principles unpinning it with some MPs questioning the relevance of setting up another bureaucracy.

One of such voices was Dr. Stephen Amoah (MP, Nhyiaeso) who described the 24-hour economy as a ‘sham’ that is intended to deceive Ghanaians. According to him, while the policy in principle may not be a bad idea, creating a bureaucracy is unnecessary. Several of his colleagues in the minority shared similar views on the needless creation of a 24-Hour Economy Authority. For Samuel Abdulai Jinapor (MP, Damongo), the allocation for the 24-Hour economy secretariat is inadequate to carry out its programme for the year.

He said, “The coordinator came to tell us that they would need $400 million to implement the 24 hour economy, but only 7% was released which they couldn’t fully utilise.”

The establishment of the Authority seeks to ensure integrated, sustainable transformation of national systems for economic production, supply chain, marketing and labour power development among others; strengthen Ghana’s national capacity to export and to address persistent trade imbalances that have constrained economic growth. According to a report presented to Parliament by the House select-committee on Constitutional and Legal Affairs, it was advised at a stakeholder consultation that in ensuring long-term implementation of the programme, the accelerated export development aspect of the programme will be anchored on 3 pillars as follows:

1. Focus on production systems; designed to increase export revenues through value addition to raw materials
2. Develop supply chain and market systems with emphasis on provision of reliable energy, security, and other enabling infrastructure necessary to support continuous 24-hour production
3. Labour force development, while addressing the systems through which Ghana develops, upgrades, and sustains its labour force. As reiterated by the majority leader, the 24-Hour Economy Authority as now established by law will lead and coordinate the policy which will guide the implementation of the programme noting that such creation can only be legitimised by an Act of Parliament.

“You know that we operate under a constitutional system and everything must be backed by law. Every authority must be exercised on the basis of an existing law. That is why for us, it is a matter of great joy that ultimately this parliament has passed the 24-hour economy authority bill. Yes, to provide the regulatory regime and to provide the legal mandate for the formalisation and implementation of the 24-hour economy.”