BY VALENTIA TETTEH
Former Finance Minister, Dr. Amin Adam, has criticised the government’s flagship 24-Hour Economy initiative, describing it as “a confusing mix of policy ideas” that has failed to deliver on its job creation promises.
Reacting to the 2026 Budget, presented by Finance Minister Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson on Friday, November 14, Dr. Adam said the programme lacks clarity and has not produced the employment opportunities government assured Ghanaians.
According to him, the administration campaigned on a pledge to introduce a shift-based job creation model “one job, three people, three shifts (1-3-3)” but “nothing has materialised.”
“The government promised lots of jobs when it came to power, but unfortunately, those promises have not materialised,” he said. “Remember the promise on the 24-Hour Economy? They indicated that one job would have three people running three shifts. But what has happened so far?”
Dr. Adam argued the 24-Hour Economy policy still has no operational roadmap after the launch.
“Today, the 24-Hour Economy is a confusing mix of policy ideas with no implementation arrangement. The same youth who were told they would have shifts to work are roaming the streets, while farmers and traders complain of poor sales and weak demand.”
He also criticised what he described as minimal budgetary support for the initiative. Government allocated GH₵90 million to the programme in the 2026 Budget, an amount he said is inadequate.
“This allocation can best be described as tokenism considering that the programme is supposed to be the government’s main development blueprint,” he noted.
Dr. Adam further questioned the credibility of government’s “Big Push” infrastructure programme. He said although the government promised GH₵13 billion for the initiative last year, only GH₵7.6 billion had been committed by July.
He expressed doubt over the Finance Minister’s claim that GH₵63 billion worth of road contracts had been awarded under the Big Push.
“How is the government able to award road contracts totalling GH₵63 billion when the total allocation for 2025 was GH₵13 billion? Even adding allocations for 2025 and 2026 amounts to GH₵43 billion, far less than the GH₵63 billion stated,” he argued.
“These 490,000 jobs promised under the Big Push are dead on arrival as there are no such contracts anywhere in Ghana.”
Dr. Adam also pointed to concerns about the structure of government spending, noting that wages, interest payments, and statutory transfers consume over two-thirds of total expenditure, leaving little room for capital investment.
“Despite the rhetoric, this 2026 Budget is not investment-driven. There is no structural shift, and Ghanaians must manage their expectations because we are likely in for another year of disappointment,” he added.
