Remote work is emerging as a critical lever for boosting productivity, expanding employment and reducing operational costs as Ghana accelerates toward implementing its 24 Hour Economy, with recent local data suggesting transformative potential for the country’s economic future.
A 2023 study by the Ghana Employers Association found that 65 percent of businesses reported productivity gains from remote working arrangements, while employee satisfaction increased by approximately 40 percent. Companies noted that reduced commuting and flexible hours contributed significantly to morale and output, with some firms cutting up to 30 percent of office related expenses.
These outcomes align with Ghana’s proposed 24 Hour Economy Bill, which explicitly seeks to eliminate location bias when hiring. By enabling remote work, the bill allows firms to tap into broader national talent pools, including professionals in regions outside Accra, while reducing dependence on expensive, centrally located offices that drive up operational costs.
For workers in Accra and other major cities, remote work represents more than a perk. Daily commuters in Accra spend between GHC 15 and GHC 20 on transport, which can grow to over GHC 200 per week when meals and incidental costs are factored in, according to data cited by News Ghana. By contrast, working from home leads to substantial savings despite increased data and electricity costs.
Workers report spending GHC 50 to GHC 150 weekly on data while working remotely, but total weekly costs remain significantly lower than daily commute expenses. These savings extend beyond finances, as workers reclaim time previously lost in traffic, reporting increased well being, greater flexibility and stronger capacity to balance personal and professional demands.
A peer reviewed study published in the SBS Journal of Applied Business Research surveyed 570 employees across 35 public and private organizations, finding that while remote work offers flexibility, better work life balance and reduced commuting, it also introduces significant challenges. Work home interference, loneliness, lack of supervision and cybersecurity risks were among the most frequently cited issues.
The study mapped tools used for remote communication, identifying email, WhatsApp, Google Drive, Zoom and Google Meet as prominent platforms. However, some workers indicated that not all necessary platforms were fully adopted, suggesting many organizations still lack mature remote working systems capable of supporting distributed workforces effectively.
A recent survey by KPMG Ghana, drawing on International Labour Organization (ILO) and Ghana Employers’ Organisation data, found that only 52 percent of enterprises had formalized work from home policies. Coordination issues and security concerns were cited as key barriers preventing wider adoption of remote work arrangements.
Infrastructure challenges remain significant. Irregular internet access, particularly in rural areas, and unreliable electricity supply continue limiting remote work’s scalability across Ghana. These gaps threaten to create uneven access to high quality jobs, potentially concentrating remote work opportunities in urban centers with better connectivity and power reliability.
Dr. William Ohene Adjei has argued that work from home policies reduce carbon emissions, cut office energy usage and lower waste from printed materials and take out food in office settings. In a 24 Hour Economy framework, these environmental benefits compound through lower commuting needs, reduced demand for large scale office lighting and cooling, and smaller carbon footprints for business operations.
To maximize remote work benefits within a 24 hour economic framework, policymakers and business leaders face critical priorities. Remote work regulation needs clarification, from labor laws protecting remote workers to tax and incentive structures encouraging remote hiring beyond city centers. The 24 Hour Economy Bill represents a step forward, but real world impact will depend on implementation and accompanying infrastructure investments.
Firms must strengthen digital capacity, as many companies still lack mature systems for remote coordination, performance tracking and cybersecurity. The transition to remote work requires investment in formal tools and training to close capability gaps identified in research on Ghanaian organizations.
Improving connectivity and power reliability remains essential for democratizing access to remote work opportunities. Without consistent internet and electricity, remote work will remain unevenly distributed across regions. Investment in broadband infrastructure, including through government broadband plans, will be vital for expanding remote work beyond urban centers.
The transformation demands modernization of work management systems. Companies increasingly recognize that productivity in remote or 24 hour systems cannot rely on manual oversight but must instead be anchored in digital project management platforms, automated reporting systems and secure cloud based tools allowing managers to monitor output rather than physical presence.
This shift strengthens accountability while enabling tasks to be completed overnight, across time zones or during off peak hours without traditional supervision constraints. For businesses, particularly startups and small and medium enterprises (SMEs), remote work under the new policy framework could enable significantly lower fixed costs and flexible hiring models supporting growth.
By reducing daily commuting, firms can operate with leaner physical footprints while maintaining or increasing output. Companies save money on office rent and utilities, while employees recoup hours and cedis lost to transport, mirroring global findings that remote work can boost productivity, reduce turnover and free capital for reinvestment in business expansion.