President John Dramani Mahama has officially launched the 24-Hour Economy and Accelerated Export Development Programme in Accra, describing it not merely as a policy initiative but as a "national reset" for Ghana’s economic landscape. Launched on Wednesday, July 2, 2025, this strategic initiative, also termed the "24-H Plus Agenda," aims to fundamentally transform Ghana's economy by maximizing productivity, driving export growth, and creating inclusive economic opportunities across all sectors.

The policy extends beyond simply keeping businesses open for longer hours. It is designed to unleash productivity, expand opportunities, and accelerate exports through well-structured, multi-sectoral, and inclusive interventions. President Mahama emphasized that the program would be primarily driven by the private sector, with the government playing an enabling and catalytic role, thereby reclaiming Ghana’s founding ideals of a self-reliant, industrious, and inclusive African nation.

The 24-hour economy initiative is structured around eight forward-looking thematic areas, each with a specific slogan: Grow 24, Make 24, Build 24, Show 24, Connect 24, Fund 24, Aspire 24, and Go 24. These pillars are designed to ensure continuous productivity and inclusive growth across strategic sectors.

Grow 24 focuses on transforming the agricultural sector through technology-driven, climate-smart practices, enabling round-the-clock production and value addition. This pillar aims to ensure food security, reduce post-harvest losses, and includes plans to irrigate over 2 million hectares of land for intensive agriculture. Make 24 prioritizes industrialization and manufacturing, promoting 24-hour operations in factories and processing zones to increase output, exports, and employment, with a focus on establishing agro-industrial parks for textiles, pharmaceuticals, and food processing.

Build 24 involves boosting construction and infrastructure development, supporting continuous building schedules on public and private projects, and providing decent housing. Show 24 centers on the creative arts, tourism, and entertainment sectors, supporting 24-hour cultural and commercial activities to position Ghana as a hub for global tourism and investment, including the development of tourism clusters along the Volta Lake.

Connect 24 seeks to improve digital infrastructure, transport networks, and energy systems to enable seamless connectivity for businesses, logistics, and individuals at all times. A key aspect is transforming the Volta Lake into a central transport corridor, linking the North to the South and East to the West. Fund 24 emphasizes financial inclusion, supporting banks, fintechs, and microfinance institutions to operate extended hours and facilitate access to credit and financial services.

Aspire 24 is dedicated to human capital development, investing in skills training, education, and entrepreneurship, particularly for the youth, to prepare them for opportunities within the 24-hour economy. Finally, Go 24 serves as the operational drive for implementation and results, coordinating, monitoring, and evaluating the performance of the entire policy framework.

A flagship intervention under this ambitious policy is the Volta Economic Corridor, a transformative effort aimed at unlocking the vast agricultural, industrial, and environmental potential of the Volta Lake and its surrounding regions. President Mahama stated that this initiative reignites the original vision of Ghana’s first President, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, who envisioned the Volta project not only as a source of hydroelectric power but also as the foundation for a broader agro-industrial revolution, including integrated development for business opportunities and irrigation.

The Volta Economic Corridor incorporates specific projects under the respective 24-Hour Economy pillars: under Grow 24, over 2 million hectares of land will be irrigated; under Make 24, agro-industrial parks focusing on textiles, pharmaceuticals, and food processing will be established; under Show 24, tourism clusters will be developed along the Volta Lake; and under Connect 24, the lake will be transformed into a central transport corridor to enhance trade and mobility nationwide. This integrated approach aligns with broader efforts to modernize transport, industry, and agriculture across the country.

The 24-Hour Economy Policy, a major campaign message of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) flagbearer, is projected to cost US$4 billion. The government has committed between US$300 million and US$400 million as catalytic seed capital, with additional financing to be sourced from commercial banks, Development Finance Institutions (DFIs), and blended financing instruments. This strategy aims to unlock larger pools of capital, ease the fiscal burden on the state, and is envisioned to create 1.7 million quality jobs over four years, thereby tackling unemployment and boosting national confidence.

President Mahama affirmed that this policy has evolved from a campaign slogan into a comprehensive national strategy, representing hope and possibility for Ghanaians. He stressed that the true challenge and impact lie in its meticulous implementation, calling on the private sector, labor unions, development partners, traditional authorities, the youth, and civil society to embrace this massive national mobilization effort for Ghana’s structural transformation and prosperity for all.