Associate Professor of International Trade at the School of Economics, Finance and Law, Anglia Ruskin University, UK, Professor Evans Akwasi Gyasi, has underscored the need for the government’s 24-hour economy to be adopted as a long-term national development strategy.
Speaking on JoyPrime’s News Flash on Tuesday, July 8, Prof. Gyasi warned that without sustained commitment across successive governments, the initiative risks suffering the fate of other ambitious programmes introduced by previous administrations.
He cited the examples of development policies under Ghana’s first President, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, and subsequent heads of state, which either stalled or were abandoned after political transitions.
“Ghana has been in this period before. In 1957, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah launched the Big Push that ushered in the sugar processing plant in Asutuari, then a tomato factory in Wenji and of course, the cattle and high leather shoes in Bolga. We move from 1978 to 1979, Achampong brought the Operation Feed Yourself, Rawlings also brought about the economic procurement programme, Kuffuor brought hip-pic, Mills and Mahama brought infrastructure, Nana Akufo-Addo brought 1D1F, NABCO, Planting for Food and Jobs, and now we are talking about 24 24-hour economy.”
“I do not see this programme being implemented fully in the term of President John Mahama. I believe that it should be a long-term programme for the entire country, yes, the idea was born by the NDC, but it must be owned by Ghanaians,” he said.
“We may not see the full implementation of the policy if you look at the life line of this president, but I believe that it should transcend beyond John Dramani Mahama,” he added.
Prof. Gyasi said that the programme is a good initiative, but the creation of the 24-hour secretariat is not needed, but it should rather be linked to “The agencies that we have already, then I think we own it, the civil servants own I,t and that will make sure that as much as possible it becomes part of the programmes and projects of the entire country.”
