Parliament has approved the 24-Hour Economy Authority Bill, 2025, paving the way for the creation of a statutory body to drive Ghana’s shift to a round-the-clock economic model.
The legislation provides the legal and regulatory framework for rolling out the government’s 24-Hour Economy and Accelerated Export Development Programme, a national strategy intended to boost productivity, expand exports and support inclusive growth.
Once operational, the authority will coordinate policies, programmes and activities across sectors to support continuous production and service delivery.
Subject to presidential assent, the new framework is expected to tackle long-standing structural weaknesses in the productive economy.
It aims to reduce reliance on low-value raw material exports and expensive imports of finished and intermediate goods, retain more value within domestic production cycles, and help break recurring constraints that have slowed national development.
The bill, which received bipartisan backing, was introduced by the Deputy Attorney General and Minister of Justice in December 2025 and considered by the Committee on Constitution and Legal Affairs before its passage.
Government leaders say the initiative is central to plans to expand employment, particularly for young people, by increasing demand for labour through multiple work shifts across a 24-hour operating economy. They argue that stabilising the financial sector and recapitalising state-owned banks will improve access to credit for businesses and support job creation.
During parliamentary debate, concerns were raised by the Minority that the new authority could duplicate the roles of existing ministries and agencies involved in trade, agribusiness and export promotion.
The opposition also called for earlier circulation of policy documents to enable thorough scrutiny, even as the House moved to approve the bill.
