Ghana’s ambitious new blueprint, the 24-hour economy, was officially launched by President John Dramani Mahama today, July 2, 2025, in what he described as a national reset—a transformative shift aimed at unleashing the country’s full economic potential.
Speaking at the launch event, President Mahama emphasized that the nation is embracing a return to the foundational ideals of self-reliance, industry, and inclusive development—driven by structured innovation and aimed at shared prosperity.
He noted that the concept behind the 24-hour economy and the Accelerated Export Development Program, now jointly referred to as the 24H Plus Agenda, was shaped by insights gained during and following his earlier administration.
“Between 2016 and 2020, it became increasingly clear that Ghana, like many African countries, is trapped in a model of equal exchange. We export raw materials and import refined finished products. We ship cocoa, gold, timber, and oil abroad only to repurchase them as chocolates, jewelry, furniture, and fuel at a far greater cost.
“This model does not serve our people. It generates foreign jobs, it fuels foreign economies, and funds foreign healthcare and education systems, while our youth remain unemployed, our industry stagnates, and our imports balloon.”
President John Dramani Mahama
Mahama pointed out that critical groundwork had already been established through investments in energy infrastructure, road networks, information and communication technology, and human capital development.
Despite these advances, he stressed that what remained lacking was a unified and strategic framework to integrate these efforts effectively. He positioned the 24H Plus Agenda as the comprehensive solution, signaling a shift from mere rhetoric to actionable policy.
The concept of a 24-hour economy, which gained widespread public attention in both 2020 and 2024, is now evolving beyond a symbol of possibility into a structured plan focused on implementation and tangible outcomes.
Bold Strategy To Boost Productivity
President Mahama further made it clear that the core aim of the initiative goes far beyond simply increasing working hours.
At its heart, the 24H Plus Agenda is designed to drive productivity, open up new opportunities, and boost exports through a strategic framework that cuts across multiple sectors and includes a broad spectrum of the population.
He noted that over the last six months, the sector team, under the leadership of presidential advisor Mr. Goosie Tanoh, has conducted a far-reaching national consultation.
This process involved engagement with a diverse group of stakeholders, including business owners, labor unions, cooperatives, farmers, traders, creatives, traditional authorities, and religious bodies.
“They’ve consulted with diaspora groups, development agencies, investors, and infrastructure experts. They’ve talked to youth and women’s organizations, scientists, and educational institutions. Alongside the private sector, the sector has worked with government ministries, departments, and agencies to align regulatory, fiscal, and institutional frameworks to the program.”
President John Dramani Mahama
The President outlined the 24-H Plus Agenda as a comprehensive initiative made up of interconnected sub-programs, each focused on revitalizing a critical area of national development.
GROW24 is aimed at enhancing agriculture, agro-processing, and food security, while MAKE24 focuses on breathing new life into the manufacturing sector and promoting industrial growth.
BUILD24 targets improvements in infrastructure, housing, and public works. SHOW24 is dedicated to leveraging Ghana’s cultural, creative, and tourism potential. CONNECT24 addresses the country’s logistics systems, including transport, ports, energy, and digital infrastructure.
FUND24 is designed to introduce innovative financing mechanisms through blended finance models and credit guarantee schemes.
ASPIRE24 centers on the development of skills, ethical values, and digital literacy to enhance national competitiveness. Finally, GO24 seeks to rally civic groups, religious institutions, academia, and security agencies around a shared goal of boosting productivity and national pride.
“This structure ensures depth and focus. We’re not attempting to fix everything everywhere all at once. We’re targeting high-impact, job-rich, and export-oriented sectors with strong forward and backward linkages.”
President John Dramani Mahama
Volta Economic Corridor Feature In 24-Hour Plus Agenda
One of the most significant moments of the launch was the introduction of the Volta Economic Corridor as the flagship initiative of the 24H Plus Agenda.
President Mahama presented this project as a bold plan to transform the Volta Lake region into a thriving economic center.
He recalled that Ghana’s first president, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, originally envisioned the Volta project at Akosombo not just as a source of energy for industrialization but as a fully integrated development scheme—one that would support agribusiness, offer fertile land for agriculture, and enable large-scale irrigation.
Mahama lamented that this aspect of Nkrumah’s vision had been neglected but announced its revival. “Today, Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah’s dream comes alive again.”
He pledged that over two million hectares of land would be irrigated under GROW24, with agro-industrial parks established for textiles, pharmaceuticals, and food processing under MAKE24.
The government also plans to develop tourism clusters under SHOW24 and turn the Volta Lake into a major transport corridor under CONNECT24.
“Imagine a future where fresh fruits and vegetables from Tamale are air freighted daily to Europe and other destinations. Imagine aquaculture along the lake, the Volta Lake, that sustains jobs and provides nutrition, and ports on the Volta Lake that reduce our transportation costs by up to 80%.”
President John Dramani Mahama
Mahama reiterated that the private sector would be at the heart of implementation. “The government will facilitate and not dominate.”
Government support will come in the form of catalytic seed funding and bulk infrastructure investment, while enterprise-level financing will rely on commercial banks, DFIs, and blended financial tools.
“FUND24 will address access to capital, collateral constraints, and the short-term nature of most of our banking finance. Credit guarantee schemes will support risk sharing without breaching our fiscal convention with our multilateral institutions.”
President John Dramani Mahama
He announced that the 24-Hour Economy Secretariat will transition into an independent authority with a direct reporting line to the sitting President—not limited to his own administration, but continuing under future leadership as well.
Emphasizing that the policy is designed with Ghana’s long-term development in mind, Mahama underscored the need for collective responsibility in driving national transformation. He called on all citizens to view this as a shared mission.
As a demonstration of this united commitment, he concluded the event by unveiling the official logo of the 24H Plus Agenda. “It is my honor and privilege to declare the 24-hour economy agenda and the accelerated export development program officially launched.”
