Ghana’s 24-hour economy programme derived from 48-year plan

Dr. Nii Moi Thompson, chairman of Ghana’s National Development Planning Committee (NDPC), stated that the government’s flagship 24-hour economy programme was derived from the nation’s 48-year Development Plan. Although the full long-term framework was never formally legislated, the initiative was adopted by the National Democratic Congress (NDC) as a key policy to support industrial activity and employment.

Dr. Thompson emphasized that for the programme to effectively accelerate job creation, the government must place small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) at its center. While efforts have been made to attract large-scale investments, he noted that SMEs are critical to ensuring the programme covers the entire economic spectrum and delivers net job growth. He further stressed that addressing employment challenges requires focusing not only on new job creation but also on tackling underemployment and improving the quality of existing work.