President John Dramani Mahama has officially launched the much-anticipated 24-Hour Economy and Accelerated Export Development Programme, also known as the 24H-Plus Agenda, emphasizing it is a bold strategic shift to unlock Ghana’s full productive potential.
He framed the initiative as a bold departure from Ghana’s reliance on raw material exports, which he argued has long trapped the nation in an unequal globe trade system.
“We export cocoa, gold, timber, and oil, only to buy back chocolates, jewelry, furniture, and unemployment and our industries stagnate,” he said.
President Mahama said the initiative is a national reset which aims to realize the founding vision of a self-reliant, industrious, and inclusive African nation that fosters prosperity for all.
The 24H-Plus Agenda, first proposed during Mahama’s 2020 and 2024 campaigns, according to him, moves from slogan to strategy with a multi-sectorial approach targeting high impact, job-rich sectors.
Speaking at the launch in Accra on July 2, President Mahama revealed Key pillars of the initiative including GROW24, MAKE24, BUILD24, SHOW24, CONNECT24, FUND24, ASPIRE24 and GO24.
The GROW24 seeks to boost agriculture, agro-processing, and food security, while the MAKE24 aims to revitalize manufacturing and industrialization.
BUILD 24 also aims to accelerate infrastructure and housing projects, SHOW24 to leverage Ghana’s creative arts and tourism, CONNECT24 seeks to upgrade logistics, ports, and digital infrastructure and FUND24 to expand access to finance through credit guarantees and venture capital.
ASPIRE24 is for skills development, digital capacity, and national values while GO24 aims for nationwide mobilization across civic, academic, and security sectors.
According to the president, the aim is not to fix everything at once.
He said “We are targeting high-impact, job rich, export-oriented sectors.”
Meanwhile, President Mahama indicated that the centerpiece of the plan is the Volta Economic Corridor, designed to realize Kwame Nkrumah’s original vision for the Akomsombo Dam region.
The Corridor will include
- Irrigation of over 2 million hectares for agriculture under GROW24
- Agro-industrial parks for textiles, pharmaceuticals and food under MAKE24.
- Tourism clusters and lake transport systems under SHOW24
President said “Imagine a future where fresh fruits and vegetables from Tamale are air freighted daily to Europe and other destinations. Imagine aquaculture along the Volta Lake that sustains jobs and provides nutrition, and ports on the Volta Lake that reduce our transportation costs by up to 80%. This is how we unlock the full value of inland Ghana and reconnect with our Sahelian neighbors. The finance and implementation institutional frameworks for 24-hour plus.”
President Mahama made it clear that the private sector will lead the programme, with government playing facilitating and not a dominating role.
He said “any government funding in 24-hour plus will be catalytic, serving as seed funding for the 24-hour plus authority and supporting bulk infrastructure. Enterprise financing will be sourced through commercial banks, DFIs and blended finance instruments. Fund24 will address access to capital, collateral constraints and the short-term nature of most of our banking finance. Credit guarantee schemes will support risk sharing without breaching our fiscal convenience with our multilateral institutions.”
While acknowledging that the task ahead will be tough, Mahama urged all Ghanaians to embrace the programme.
“Ghana belongs to all of us. This transformation requires collective effort,” he said, unveiling the initiative’s official logo as a symbol of shared ambition.
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