By: Belinda Nketia
The government is laying the groundwork for a 24-hour economy through a dedicated authority and careful planning, Minister in Charge of Government Communications, Felix Ofosu Kwakye, has said.
Hon. Felix Ofosu Kwakye, who is also the Member of Parliament for Abura Asebu Kwamankese, said President John Dramani Mahama’s administration is interested in addressing challenges that have undermined the implementation of past government programs.
“We don’t believe in just sloganeering. When you want to set up a system, it is better to be meticulous and take the time required to set up the structures properly, so that when you take off, you don’t suffer some of the implementation hiccups that other programmes have suffered,” the minister said during his turn on the Government Accountability Series at the Presidency on Tuesday.
He said lessons from previous policy failures had informed the government’s approach. Given this context, the president has appointed an adviser who has assembled a technical team to design the policy framework. That team, he said, has completed work on a framework for a 24-hour Economy Authority that will have the legal mandate and jurisdiction to oversee implementation.
According to the minister, more than 100 million cedis have been allocated in the 2026 budget to finance the authority’s activities and operations. He said implementation of the policy is expected to begin later this year, once the structures are fully established.
“When it is set up properly, organizations that are interested in this 24-hour economy programme can then register and benefit from the incentive packages that were advertised during the campaign,” he said.
The minister also cited early results from institutions that have already adopted round-the-clock operations. He said the Ghana Publishing Company Limited has recorded a sharp increase in revenue since introducing 24-hour operations, while ports are also implementing similar systems.
“It is our hope that by the close of this year, more organisations will come on board because the authority has been set up and they will have the capacity to engage,” he said.
The minister said job creation is the primary motivation behind the policy, alongside economic expansion. He described Ghana’s unemployment situation as “unacceptably high,” citing data from the Ghana Statistical Service that put unemployment at about 12.6 percent, down from 13.8 percent in the previous year.
“There are millions of Ghanaian youth who want to work. They are highly educated and want some employment so they can make a meaningful living,” he said. “The 24-hour economy is designed to expand the economy and create room for more employment for our youth.”
The Government Accountability Series is aimed at providing regular updates on government policies, expenditures, and outcomes directly from sector ministers and senior officials to the general public.
