Ghana post to integrate “24-Hour Economy” into operations – Minister

On Monday, March 17, 2025, Ghana’s Minister of Communication, Digital Technology, and Innovation boldly declared that the Ghana Post would “integrate a 24-hour economy into operations.”

Professor Isaac Boadi, the Dean of the Faculty of Accounting and Finance and the Executive Director of the Institute of Economic Research and Public Policy (IERPP), stated that this announcement, however, rings alarmingly hollow.

The proposed policy, a concept that requires meticulous planning, funding, and legislative backing, is conspicuously absent from the 2025 Budget Statement and Economic Policy of the Government of Ghana, which was tabled just days earlier.

Without a concrete roadmap, budgetary allocation, or legal framework, the minister’s pronouncement appears disconnected from the fiscal and operational realities facing the nation.

The 2025 Budget, the government’s primary fiscal blueprint, allocates GH¢269.1 billion in expenditures. It prioritizes debt management, energy sector bailouts, and social interventions. Yet, nowhere in its 235 pages is there a mention of the 24-hour economy.

The only time it was mentioned was in reference to the fact that, the document policy would be sent to parliament for consideration. Yet the minister tells Ghanaians the Ghana post to intergrate 24-hour economy into operations.

The policy yet to prepared and presented to parliament. This omission is not trivial, it is fatal to the initiative’s credibility. A 24-hour economy demands investments in nighttime infrastructure: reliable electricity, expanded public transport, enhanced security, and labor protections. None of these are costed or prioritized in the budget.

For instance, the energy sector—already drowning in GH¢20.8 billion of payments to Independent Power Producers (IPPs) in 2024—receives no new funding for grid upgrades to support 24/7 operations.

Similarly, the Public Safety Sector’s allocation remains stagnant at GH¢4.7 billion, despite the heightened security risks that nighttime economic activity would entail. Without budgetary commitment, the minister’s words are little more than wishful thinking.

Ghana’s economy is grappling with a 61.8% debt-to-GDP ratio, inflation at 23.8%, and a currency that depreciated by 19.2% in 2024. The 2025 Budget explicitly warns of “daunting fiscal challenges,” including GH¢67.5 billion in unpaid arrears to contractors and GH¢32.5 billion in Cocobod debt.

Against this backdrop, the minister’s sudden enthusiasm for a 24-hour economy feels tone-deaf. The policy’s success hinges on stable electricity, yet the budget admits that energy sector shortfalls could exceed US$2.23 billion in 2025.

How can businesses operate round-the-clock when even daytime power supply remains erratic? The minister’s silence on resolving dumsor—a perennial crisis—exposes the initiative’s impracticality.

This is not the first time Ghana’s government has touted transformative policies without follow-through. The 2025 Budget itself reveals failures like the stalled Agenda 111 hospitals, where GH¢21.7 billion was spent without completing a single facility.

Similarly, the YouStart entrepreneurship program, once hailed as a jobs engine, has been quietly shelved due to mismanagement.

The 24-hour economy now joins this graveyard of abandoned ideas. The minister’s announcement lacks even basic details: Which sectors will pilot the initiative?

What labor laws will protect nighttime workers? How will small businesses afford extended hours? Without answers, the policy is a slogan, not a strategy.

A 24-hour economy cannot be imposed by decree. It requires collaboration with businesses, labor unions, and local governments. Yet the budget includes no consultations or cost-sharing mechanisms with the private sector.

The Ghana Union of Traders Association (GUTA) has already warned that rising inflation and exchange rate volatility make extended operations unviable for SMEs.

Moreover, the budget ignores critical regulatory reforms. For example, Ghana’s labor laws do not mandate overtime pay or nighttime safety standards. The minister’s vague pronouncement offers no solutions to these gaps, leaving workers vulnerable to exploitation.

The Minister of Communication’s 24-hour economy proposal is a textbook example of political grandstanding. It ignores fiscal constraints, sidesteps structural weaknesses, and dismisses the need for stakeholder engagement. Ghana’s economy cannot afford another half-baked experiment.

Instead of chasing headlines, the government should focus on executing the 2025 Budget’s stated priorities: stabilizing the energy sector, clearing contractor arrears, and curbing inflation. Only then can Ghana lay the groundwork for sustainable growth—whether at 12 noon or 12 midnight. Until the 24-hour economy is backed by funding, planning, and transparency, it remains a fantasy, not a policy.