By Godwill Arthur Mensah
Accra, July 11, GNA–IMANI Africa, a policy think tank, has described Ghana’s 24-Hour Economy and Accelerated Export Development programme as a major improvement from previous fragmented development efforts.
The think tank said the 24-Hour Economy policy document has the potential to deliver long-term structural transformation if properly executed.
In its latest report, titled “Criticality Analysis of Governance and Economic Issues” released between June and July this year, IMANI argued that the government’s flagship initiative is not merely a job-creation scheme based on extended working hours or multiple shifts.
Instead, it views the policy as a bold and comprehensive plan to re-engineer Ghana’s economic architecture.
According to IMANI, the full policy blueprint outlines an ambitious agenda designed to integrate agriculture, industry, supply chains, manufacturing, culture, and human capital into a unified and sustainable development framework.
According to the report, a central pillar of the 24-Hour Economy policy emphasised on agriculture as the foundation for industrial expansion.
The think tank commended the government for recognizing that “you cannot industrialize what you cannot produce,” and praised the focus on linking agriculture to critical industries such as agro-processing, textiles, pharmaceuticals, and food supplements.
The policy think tank indicated in its report that the 24-Hour programme marks a welcome departure from the disjointed development strategies of the past and reflects a more coherent understanding of economic transformation.
However, the report warns that the success of the policy would depend not on ambition alone, but on effective implementation.
It cites the textile and garment sector as a case in point where strategic goals may be undermined by weak foundational systems.
While the policy outlines plans to transform Akosombo Textiles Limited and Tex Styles Ghana into fully integrated production hubs, IMANI cautions that without reviving Ghana’s declining cotton sector, those ambitions may be unsustainable.
Beyond the agriculture and textile sectors, IMANI raised broader concerns about Ghana’s capacity to implement such an ambitious economic shift.
The report identifies key challenges in land governance, irrigation infrastructure, agro-credit systems, workforce skills development, and alignment between research and industrial priorities.
While IMANI acknowledges the policy’s comprehensive scope and strategic intent, it warns that vision alone will not deliver meaningful results but concrete efforts.
GNA
Edited by Benjamin Mensah