President John Dramani Mahama, in a significant step toward transforming Ghana’s economic structure, has engaged captains of industry, investors, and entrepreneurs on the practical rollout of his administration’s ambitious 24-hour economy policy.
At a high-level stakeholder dialogue held at the Jubilee House, the President laid out his vision for a productivity-driven national reset that places inclusive growth, job creation, and industrial competitiveness at the centre of governance.
Acknowledging the calibre and busy schedules of the business leaders present, President Mahama expressed deep gratitude for their participation and emphasised that the engagement was crucial for building a shared understanding and momentum behind what he described as a “bold national agenda.”
“This meeting is a crucial part of our national reset. It concerns the rollout of the 24-hour Economy policy, specifically the 24-H plus program and the Accelerated Export Development Framework, which many of you have already adopted and supported in many ways.”
HE President John Dramani Mahama
Offering what he described as “a clear lens” into the conceptual foundation of the 24-hour economic vision, President Mahama explained that the policy must be understood both as a destination and a deliberate restructuring program.
As a destination, the President noted that the 24-hour economy reflects a state where Ghana’s productivity and capital utilisation are so efficient that it must operate in multiple shifts across day and night, maximising returns on infrastructure, human capital, and innovation.
This, he added, aligns with his overarching agenda to achieve full employment and drive inclusive economic growth.
“Earlier this month, I received the complete draft of the twenty-four-hour economic policy from my advisor, Mr. Goosie Tanoh, and since then, I have reviewed it and I’m confident we now have a coherent and actionable framework with which to deliver the results”.
HE President John Dramani Mahama
Macroeconomic Stability
While macroeconomic stability remains critical—and is being pursued through coordination between the Ministry of Finance and the Bank of Ghana—President Mahama was quick to stress that the policy’s main thrust extends far beyond stability.
Its core, he noted, is about enterprise development, job creation, export competitiveness, and boosting domestic production. According to President Mahama, a hallmark of the policy is its emphasis on integrated value chain transformation.
He indicated that rather than addressing bottlenecks in isolation, the program takes a comprehensive approach, targeting infrastructure, access to finance, land reform, logistics, and workforce skills development simultaneously.
The Volta Lake Economic Corridor Project
One of the most ambitious components of this approach is the planned development of the Volta Lake Economic Corridor. According to President Mahama, the Volta Lake Corridor will be a game-changer, noting that it is envisaged as a national production and logistics hub.
The corridor, the President noted, will involve cultivating over two million hectares of lakeside arable land, revitalising the fishery sector, and establishing a chain of industrial parks focused on goods for both domestic and regional markets.
“The lake itself will be activated as a transport highway, moving food, people, and goods more efficiently than our congested roads currently allow,” the President announced.
He added that new floating assets, lake ports, and long-term public-private investment partnerships will be pursued in close coordination with the Volta River Authority and business stakeholders.
‘We must move beyond just hydro power and unlock the broader economic potential of this beautiful national asset.”
HE President John Dramani Mahama
Moreover, President Mahama disclosed that the Volta Lake initiative is only one piece of the puzzle, asserting that the broader 24-hour economy program identifies key value chains across all sixteen regions.
These include agro-processing, pharmaceuticals, textiles, light manufacturing, tourism, digital services, and the creative economy. Each sector’s unique constraints are mapped, with targeted interventions proposed.
In the area of infrastructure, President Mahama indicated that the Ghana Infrastructure Investment Fund (GIIF) will spearhead the development of industrial parks and logistics hubs.
Also, to address the persistent financing gaps facing local businesses, President Mahama assured that the Development Bank of Ghana and the Venture Capital Trust Fund will expand value chain finance, particularly for SMEs, cooperatives, and agribusinesses.
Land reform is also central to the policy, with the President outlining plans to create local land banks that are titled, zoned, and investment-ready, thereby minimising delays and uncertainty for investors.
On the human capital front, President Mahama announced the upcoming launch of the Aspire 24 sub-programme, which will train Ghanaian youth in skills tailored for shift-based work, digital enterprise, and entrepreneurship.
This, he said, is critical to preparing the workforce for a dynamic, round-the-clock economy. Additional incentives to attract investment will include tax reliefs on machinery and industrial inputs, fast-tracked regulatory approvals, and streamlined export facilitation processes.
Importantly, the President underscored that the 24-hour economy is not a rigid, top-down model. Instead, it is deeply decentralised.
According to him, every district and municipal assembly will establish its own 24-hour economy implementation task force, aligned with Ghana’s local economic development policy.
“This decentralised approach will allow each region to define and lead its path of industrial transformation based on its natural comparative advantages. Ladies and gentlemen, this is no longer just a vision; it is a structured sequence and inclusive plan, and its implementation is beginning.”
HE President John Dramani Mahama
Detailed Programme
In a symbolic move that marks the beginning of execution, President Mahama disclosed that the 24-hour Secretariat has been authorised to begin detailed programme design and investment packaging.
The draft programme document, he said, will be made public next week on Tuesday for broader national consultation, inviting feedback from stakeholders to refine and finalise the framework.
The official launch of the 24-Hour Plus Programme is slated for July, potentially to coincide with Republic Day, a date the President described as “symbolic for a bold new national agenda.”
To ensure institutional stability and long-term delivery, President Mahama revealed plans to work with Parliament to establish the 24-Hour Economy Secretariat as an independent statutory authority, reporting directly to the presidency and backed by legislation.
Closing his remarks, President Mahama returned to the theme of national partnership, thanking the business community for their trust, resilience, and readiness to join in the country’s economic transformation.
“The 24-hour economic policy is not just a policy. It is a national compact for shared growth, decent jobs, competitive exports, thriving local economies, and long-term prosperity. We now have to move to the hard work of delivery, together. Let us make Ghana a nation where opportunity never sleeps.”
HE President John Dramani Mahama
With deliberate coordination, sustained investment, and collective will, Ghana is positioning itself as a modern economy in perpetual motion.
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