The Minority in Parliament has delivered a sharp critique of the government’s flagship 24-Hour Economy programme, arguing that it has failed to produce meaningful results and left countless young people unemployed.
At a press briefing held on Friday, November 14, former Finance Minister Dr Amin Adam described the initiative as poorly planned, poorly funded, and far from the transformative policy it was announced to be.
According to Dr Adam, the government came into office on the back of bold promises to shift Ghana’s economic structure and drive large-scale job creation. However, he suggested that these commitments have not translated into real progress.
“The current administration secured the mandate of Ghanaians on the back of lofty pledges to transform the economic paradigm of our beloved nation, yet unfortunately those promises have not materialised,” he said.
Dr Adam specifically questioned the efficacy of the 24-Hour Economy policy, which was launched with the intention of creating round-the-clock job opportunities through a three-shift (1-3-3) employment model.
“You remember the 24-Hour Economy, which the government launched this year. This programme was said to be a job creation policy with a homegrown formula and they told us 133, one job 3 people, three shifts. But what has happened so far?” he asked.
He argued that the policy, as it stands, lacks structure, clarity, and direction.
“Today the 24-Hour Economy policy is a confusing mix of policy ideas with no clear implementation arrangement,” he said, stressing that the programme has created more confusion than impact.
Dr Adam also highlighted the social consequences of what he described as botched implementation.
“The same youth who were told they would have shifts to work once this government comes to power continue to roam the streets without work, while farmers and traders complain of poor sales due to weak demand,” he stated.
Turning to the cost of the initiative, Dr Adam noted that the programme is projected to cost $4 billion, with the government expected to contribute between $300 million and $400 million. He contended that the government has not demonstrated a realistic financial plan to support such a large-scale programme.
He further questioned the accuracy and transparency of allocations made in the 2026 Budget Statement.
“We are going into the second year since the program was launched, yet the government failed to announce in the 2026 budget the allocation of 90 million Ghana cedis to the 24-Hour Economy for 2026. In fact, the minister said 110 million Ghana cedis for 2026, but if you get to the appendix, you will see only 90 million Ghana cedis allocated towards 24-Hour Economy.”
Dr Adam broke down the spending in the budget appendix, noting that 70 million cedis is designated for goods and services, while 20 million cedis is earmarked for capital expenditure (CAPEX). He described this as woefully inadequate for a programme touted as the government’s main development blueprint.
“This can best be described as tokenism, given that the programme is the main development blueprint of the NDC government,” he said.
In his concluding remarks, Dr Adam argued that the programme, in its current form, stands no chance of achieving its stated goals.
“This, no doubt, is helpless. This cannot help achieve the program objectives of creating a 133-job model,” he said.
The Minority’s comments add to growing public questions about the feasibility, funding, and overall direction of the 24-Hour Economy initiative. For many Ghanaians, especially the youth still searching for stable employment, the debate over the programme’s effectiveness remains critical as the country prepares for the 2026 economic cycle.
