The Director and Head of Innovative Finance of the 24-Hour Economy Secretariat, Dr Ishmael Nii Amanor Dodoo has disclosed that the 24-Hour Economy has made progress within its first year through falling unemployment, institutional development and projects aimed at expanding job opportunities. He explained that the programme was launched on July 2, 2025 after months of consultations with businesses, industry groups, academia, civil society organisations and other stakeholders across the country.

“The 24 Hour Economy is a catalyst for industrialisation, for export promotion and ultimately to create over 1.7 million jobs that we’veset ourselves to do.”
Dr Ishmael Nii Amanor Dodoo

The Director linked the programme’s progress to the reduction in the national unemployment rate from 14.1 percent to 9.4 percent and subsequently to about 6.4 percent. He indicated that the decline showed that jobs have been created within the economy.

Discussing the programme’s foundation, Dr Dodoo disclosed that extensive consultations were held between January and June 2025 before the policy was officially launched. The engagements involved the Ghana Union of Traders’ Associations, the Association of Ghana Industries, the Ghana Enterprises Agency, academia and civil society organisations.

In addition, the Secretariat examined government policies from 1960 to date to identify approaches that had worked, those that had failed and lessons that could improve the country’s economic direction. Dr Dodoo also indicated that the experiences of Singapore, Vietnam, China, Egypt and Rwanda were studied to draw lessons for Ghana’s economic transformation.

From his perspective, the process helped establish a policy framework focused on industrialisation, job creation and the removal of obstacles affecting businesses. The Director added that the establishment of the 24-Hour Economy Authority through an Act of Parliament has provided an institutional structure for the programme.

He explained that the structure is important to ensure that the initiative follows a clear development path and retains its direction across changes in government. The programme, he added, also identified energy, access to land, incentives and patient capital as key areas requiring attention to support industrial growth. Subsequently, he indicated that the government has therefore spent the first year establishing the policy, institutional and economic foundations required for the programme to expand.

Major Projects Expected To Drive Youth Employment Under 24-Hour Economy

The Director and Head of Innovative Finance of the 24-Hour Economy Secretariat, Dr Ishmael Nii Amanor Dodoo disclosed that major energy, agricultural and industrial projects under the programme are expected to create significant employment opportunities, particularly for young people. He explained that the initiative was designed to address youth unemployment through projects capable of expanding production and creating jobs across several sectors of the economy.

The Director pointed to the Buipe Solar Energy Complex as one of the projects that is making a major contribution to employment creation. According to him, the project has been estimated to create approximately 130,000 jobs as part of the programme’s industrial and energy development plans.

“The 24-Hour Economy programme is targeting necessarily the youth unemployment situation.”
Dr Ishmael Nii Amanor Dodoo

24hourdorectorishmael — Dr Ishmael Nii Amanor Dodoo

Beyond these projects, he disclosed that industrial parks and agro-ecological parks are being developed to expand employment opportunities in manufacturing, agriculture and related sectors. The Director indicated that about 33 industries are operating multiple shifts under the programme, creating employment opportunities across different working periods.

He also cited the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority as one of the public institutions operating shifts and creating jobs within the broader framework of the initiative. However, Dr Dodoo explained that the Secretariat could not provide a single figure for the total number of jobs created by the programme within its first year.

He indicated that the 24-Hour Economy did not directly operate all the industries involved, making it difficult to provide a consolidated figure without risking inaccurate information. Instead, the Director linked the falling national unemployment rate to employment opportunities being created across the economy.

The issue of youth unemployment remains a major part of the programme’s employment agenda, especially as recent statistics have placed the rate among young people above 30 percent. That notwithstanding, Dr Dodoo indicated that the projects being developed under the programme are intended to create employment opportunities for young people through industrial expansion. He identified energy as a critical part of the strategy because reliable and affordable power is necessary for competitive manufacturing.

In addition, the programme is expected to use industrial parks and agricultural projects to connect investment with employment across different parts of the country. The Director explained that the government is laying the foundations for the projects while working with the private sector to drive their implementation.