Keypoints:
- Mahama launches 24h+ economy plan to drive exports and jobs
- Programme includes 8 sectoral tracks and a VA corridor flagship
- Private sector to lead as government facilitates transformation
GHANA has officially launched its 24-Hour Economy and Accelerated Export Development Programme, also known as the 24h+ Agenda, marking what President John Dramani Mahama called a ‘bold national reset’ to drive job creation, exports and inclusive growth.
A vision born from economic reflection
Speaking at the launch in Accra Wednesday, President Mahama traced the roots of the 24h+ Agenda to his previous administration and its lessons in economic planning.
‘The vision behind the 24-Hour Economy and the Accelerated Export Development Programme was born from deep reflection during and after my previous term in office,’ he said. ‘Between 2016 and 2020, it became increasingly clear that Ghana — like many African countries — is trapped in a model of unequal exchange. We export raw materials and import refined finished products.
‘We ship cocoa, gold, timber and oil abroad, only to repurchase them as chocolate, jewellery, furniture and fuel — at far greater cost. This model has never served our people. It generates foreign jobs, fuels foreign economies, and funds foreign healthcare and education systems, while our youth remain unemployed, our industries stagnate, and our import bill balloons.
‘We laid essential foundations for energy, infrastructure, ICT and human capital. But we knew we needed to go further — and that meant crafting an integrated, bold, coherent approach to dismantle the silos of past policies. The 24h+ Agenda is our collective answer.’
A programme designed for transformation
Goosie Tanoh, the Presidential Advisor on the 24-Hour Economy, outlined the structure of the new programme in his opening remarks. The initiative, he said, comprises eight interconnected sub-programmes and over 50 projects covering commercial, institutional, and social sectors.
These include: Grow 24 (agriculture and food), Make 24 (manufacturing), Build 24 (infrastructure), Show 24 (creative industries), Connect 24 (logistics and digital systems), Fund 24 (financing), Aspire 24 (skills and digital fluency), and Go 24 (civic mobilisation).
According to Tanoh, abridged versions and animations will soon be published in local languages to ensure wide accessibility.
Flagship corridor to unlock Volta Lake’s potential
At the heart of the programme is the flagship Volta Economic Corridor. It will transform over 2 million hectares of land into irrigated farms under Grow 24, establish agro-industrial parks under Make 24, and develop lake tourism and transport corridors under Show 24 and Connect 24.
‘We are not trying to fix everything at once,’ President Mahama said. ‘We are targeting job-rich, export-driven sectors with strong forward and backward linkages.’
From slogans to strategy
President Mahama stressed that the 24h+ Agenda is not merely about extending working hours.
‘This is not just about night shifts,’ he said. ‘It is about unleashing productivity, accelerating exports, and ensuring that Ghanaian industries become the backbone of our economy. The private sector will lead; government will facilitate, not dominate.’
Government seed funding will support the 24h+ Authority and bulk infrastructure, while enterprise finance will come from commercial banks, development banks, and blended finance sources. Credit guarantees will be used to de-risk lending.
Cross-sector collaboration and next steps
The programme has received support across government, including from the ministries of trade, agriculture, fisheries and culture, as well as development finance institutions such as the Ghana Infrastructure Investment Fund, Ghana EXIM Bank, and the African Development Bank.
The 24h+ Secretariat will evolve into a statutory authority reporting directly to the president, with legislation soon to be laid before Parliament.
‘The work of transformation is ours together’
Mahama ended with a call for unity and national mobilisation. ‘Ghana belongs to all of us. The task of transformation must be the work of all of us — private sector, labour unions, youth, traditional authorities and civil society.’
He then unveiled the official logo of the 24h+ Programme, describing it as ‘a bold visual expression of our ambition to build a resilient, self-reliant and productive Ghana.’
‘Let us rise to this task with unity, courage and resolve,’ he said. ‘May God bless our homeland Ghana and make our nation great and strong.’
