By Evans Worlanyo Ameamu
Ho (VR), Aug. 13, GNA – Mr Timothy Dotsey, a Research Consultant in the Volta Region and Administrator at Ho Technical University, has called on the Government to position tertiary institutions as key drivers of Ghana’s proposed 24-hour economy.
He said universities and colleges could provide the steady night-time demand required to sustain continuous economic activity and support the successful implementation of the policy.
Mr Dotsey, in an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA), described the 24-hour economy as one of the most promising policy initiatives pursued by the country in recent years.
According to him, if properly implemented, the policy could expand production, create jobs, improve the utilisation of public infrastructure, and broaden opportunities for businesses.
He explained that the 24-hour economy should not be viewed merely as a system in which shops and markets remain open throughout the night, but rather as a broader strategy aimed at continuous production, value addition, industrialisation and export development.
Under the concept, he said, farms, factories, transport systems, ports, digital services and other productive sectors would operate in multiple shifts to ensure the efficient use of infrastructure, machinery and human resources.
Mr Dotsey, however, expressed concern about the current focus on constructing dedicated 24-hour model markets across the country, stressing that the existence of modern market facilities alone would not automatically guarantee night-time trading.
He noted that although the proposed markets might provide useful amenities such as banking services, storage facilities, restaurants, crèches, clinics, security posts and fire protection systems, those additions by themselves would not compel traders and consumers to remain active after midnight.
Markets, he said, thrived on demand, and unless there was sufficient patronage to offset the additional costs associated with electricity, transportation, security and labour, many traders would have little commercial incentive to extend their operations into the night.
“Our country therefore risked investing in attractive modern markets that might continue to function mainly during the day, thereby undermining the central objective of building a productive economy that remained active beyond conventional working hours.”
Mr Dotsey emphasised that while modern markets remained necessary and existing ones required improvements in sanitation, lighting, storage, fire protection and security, any effort to establish 24-hour markets should be based on clear evidence of local demand and prevailing patterns of economic activity.
He said one of the most practical, yet less discussed options for stimulating the 24-hour economy was to make universities and other tertiary institutions anchor centres for regulated round-the-clock economic activity.
Mr Dotsey explained that Ghana’s public universities, technical universities, private universities, colleges of education, nursing training colleges and related institutions already brought together thousands of students, lecturers, administrators, researchers, transport operators, food vendors, accommodation providers and technology businesses.
Under such an arrangement, he said, institutions would not necessarily compel students and lecturers to attend classes at odd hours but could adopt staggered systems where some lectures were held in the evenings while libraries, laboratories, innovation centres, study spaces and digital support services remained open for extended periods.
He noted that the approach would particularly benefit workers pursuing higher education outside normal working hours while enabling institutions to optimise the use of existing lecture halls, laboratories, and related facilities.
Mr Dotsey said the strategy could also reduce the need for immediate investment in new infrastructure at a time when public resources remained constrained.
Citing international examples, he said some universities in Europe, the United States and Asia already operated extended-hour academic support systems.
He pointed to the University of Manchester’s Alan Gilbert Learning Commons, which operates on a 24-hour, seven-day basis during academic terms to support students.
Mr Dotsey observed that active university communities at night would create sustained demand for food services, transportation, internet connectivity, pharmacies, printing services, accommodation and financial services.
He therefore urged the Government to pilot regulated 24-hour economic zones around selected tertiary institutions in Accra, Kumasi, Cape Coast, Tamale, Ho and Takoradi.
Mr Dotsey said the success of the policy should ultimately be measured by indicators such as job creation, increased production, business growth, export expansion and improved household incomes rather than the number of structures constructed.
GNA
Edited by Maxwell Awumah/Lydia Kukua Asamoah