President John Dramani Mahama on Thursday, February 19, 2026, signed the 24-Hour Economy Authority Bill, 2025 into law, paving the way for the establishment of the Authority to oversee the implementation of the Government’s 24-Hour Economy and Accelerated Export Development Programme, anchored on three core pillars: Production Systems Development and Transformation, Development of Supply Chain and Market Systems, and Labour Development.
Parliament had passed the bill on February 6, 2026, after extensive debate between the Majority and Minority caucuses. The Minority raised concerns about potential duplication of existing functions and implementation risks, while the government argued the policy would substantially boost job creation and productivity.
The signing ceremony at Jubilee House was witnessed by Vice President Professor Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang, Cabinet ministers, and Presidential Advisor Goosie Tanoh, who led the team responsible for developing the legislation. The President was direct about what comes next. “Now we must move from strategy to implementation. The business sector is waiting, Ghanaian investors are waiting, foreign investors are waiting,” he said, adding that investors require clarity on the incentive package before committing capital to expand productivity and create jobs for young people.
The law now in place is the starting gun, not the finish line. Ghana’s industrialisation history is punctuated by policy frameworks that lost momentum during implementation, and the 24-Hour Economy faces that same test.
The most urgent challenge is making night-shift economics viable for businesses. Operational costs, particularly electricity and labour, rise after dark. Without a credible Time-of-Use (ToU) tariff regime that offers cheaper electricity rates during off-peak hours, manufacturers have little financial incentive to run a third shift. Tax rebates and certification frameworks for businesses that commit to multi-shift operations would strengthen the case further, but these instruments must be announced promptly. Every month of delay is a month of investor hesitation.
Access to finance represents the second critical gap. Expanding operations to run around the clock demands working capital for raw materials, additional payroll, and equipment maintenance, resources that many small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) cannot easily mobilise. State financial institutions, including the Ghana Export-Import (EXIM) Bank, must design affordable long-term credit lines specifically structured for businesses operating within the 24-hour framework, rather than defaulting to conventional lending instruments that do not reflect the policy’s operational demands.
Infrastructure alignment cannot be treated as an afterthought. The Authority’s operational focus covers manufacturing, agro-processing, logistics, and services, with a particular emphasis on pulling Ghana away from dependence on exporting low-value raw materials and importing expensive finished goods. That ambition requires roads, ports, and warehouses that function continuously and safely. Worker safety after dark, through street lighting and dedicated security deployment, is equally non-negotiable. Without it, firms will resist the night shift regardless of the incentives on offer.
The Pharmaceutical Innovation Park at Akuse stands as an early test case. Land has been secured and anchor investors identified, but the policy’s credibility will ultimately be measured by how many private manufacturing facilities are operating within that enclave in twelve months’ time. Government officials have indicated that the Authority will design operational guidelines, monitor compliance, and provide incentives for businesses willing to transition into 24-hour operations, working closely with security agencies, energy providers, and transport operators to guarantee efficiency and safety.
The law is real. The question Ghana’s business community is now asking is whether the implementation will be.
