268 filling stations, 33 manufacturers operating under 24-Hour Economy – Secretariat

The Secretariat of the 24-Hour Economy programme has rejected claims that the policy has failed to deliver results, stating that it has moved beyond planning and is already generating investment commitments, expanding round-the-clock services and supporting industrial activity.

The Secretariat said the programme had secured $5.5 billion worth of Joint Development Agreements with co-development partners as of May 2026, while 268 filling stations and 33 manufacturing companies had started operating under the initiative’s multi-shift model.

The statement was issued in response to comments by the Ranking Member of Parliament’s Economy and Development Committee, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, who questioned what the 24-Hour Economy had achieved since its launch and suggested that significant public resources had been committed without clear outcomes.

The Secretariat said the programme’s progress should be measured by the investments mobilised, production capacity created, exports generated and jobs expected rather than by direct government spending.

“The right measure is the investment the Programme mobilises and the production, exports and jobs it generates,” the Secretariat said.

It said the programme is targeting 1.7 million decent jobs by the end of 2028, with four agreements signed within the past 90 days alone expected to create more than 160,000 direct jobs.

The Secretariat also rejected claims that the programme had consumed part of the GH¢650 billion approved by Parliament for government programmes over the past two years, saying the figure represented the total national budget allocation and was not expenditure on the 24-Hour Economy.

“The GHS 650 billion cited by Hon. Oppong Nkrumah is the total that Parliament has appropriated for all government programmes over the past two years. It is by no means the expenditure made by or on the 24-Hour Economy,” it said.

According to the Secretariat, the initiative is structured around private-sector investment, with Ghanaian and foreign companies expected to finance most projects. Government support, it said, is limited to project preparation, viability gap financing and coordination activities.

“Almost all of the projects are funded by private investors: Ghanaian and foreign companies and cooperatives,” the statement said.

The Secretariat highlighted several projects under the programme, including the $1.45 billion Buipe solar and battery project, which is expected to generate 1,500 megawatts of electricity and create about 13,000 jobs, as well as the $250 million Kambonwule oil palm complex, projected to create 120,000 jobs at maturity.

It said other public institutions, including the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority, Ghana Publishing Company and Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority, had also introduced 24-hour services.

The Secretariat said the gradual rollout of the programme was deliberate, allowing the government to secure investment partners, prepare bankable projects and address challenges relating to land, infrastructure and reliable power supply.

It maintained that the impact of the policy would become increasingly visible through increased factory operations, new investments, job creation and higher production for domestic consumption and export.