24-hour economy: Be honest with Ghanaians about implementation

Senior Lecturer at the University of Ghana and Executive Director of the Centre for Policy Scrutiny, Dr. Adu Owusu Sarkodie, has urged the government to clearly communicate how it intends to implement its flagship 24-hour economy policy, warning that voters expect accountability for campaign promises.

Speaking on The Big Issue on Channel One TV on Saturday, July 25, 2026, Dr. Sarkodie said the government has both a political and moral obligation to explain the status of its key manifesto commitments as it reaches the midpoint of its four-year mandate.

“Even for political reasons, if not even for economic reasons, politically you have a social contract with the people. You promised them one, two, three, and so if you have not gotten to the point of 1-3-3, then you should explain to them. I’m not sure the electorate will forgive you,” he said.

He noted that the government had already completed two years in office, leaving only 2027 and 2028 to deliver on its commitments before the next general election.

“Ghanaians voted for you, gave you a four-year mandate, and you’ve spent two years already, remaining two more years, 2027 and 2028, and so they must come with a clearly defined issue. How do you communicate the 24-hour economy thing from the promise to the implementation? That one is key,” he said.

Dr. Sarkodie said if the government was unable to implement the policy as promised, it should be candid with the public rather than remain silent.

“If you cannot do it, say you cannot do it. If you can do it, [explain] what you are waiting for,” he said.

Despite his concerns over implementation, the policy analyst described the 24-hour economy document as containing several promising ideas, urging the government to prioritize at least one major initiative over the remaining two years of its term.

“As a researcher, I would say that, as I’ve mentioned, fantastic ideas [are] in the document… Even if they fail at all, they should do one in the document,” he said.