I recently received an interesting telephone call from my sister, a bigtime kenkey seller who has been having sleepless nights over Mahama’s much-publicised 24-hour economy and wanted further and better particulars.

Without wasting time, I told my dear sister that a 24-hour economy is more or less a free market economy, which draws its strength from all-important supply and demand with minimal or no government interference whatsoever.

In effect, no government on planet Earth can legislate, coerce business owners, or have total control over a 24-hour economy.

Besides, with the evolving global economy and the advent of AI and digital transformation, the 24-hour economy is facing enormous challenges.

Somehow, industries and businesses won’t require a large workforce in order to engage in a 24-hour economy as a result of evolving technology.

Take Ghana, for example. With the advent of Bawumia’s all-important digital transformation, many businesses are engaging in a 24-hour economy, unbeknownst to some Ghanaians.

Indeed, the introduction of a program such as mobile money interoperability has ensured a 24-hour banking service in Ghana.

My dear reader, I am a living witness. Although I am in the United Kingdom, I am able to transact business around the clock, transfer money anytime from my MTN mobile money account to my bank account, and vice versa.

Succinctly put, some industries and businesses are already engaging in a 24-hour economy in Ghana.

That being said, the idea of legislating or spreading the 24-hour economy to cover every business is virtually impossible, as a matter of fact.

Like my dear Sister’s 24-hour kenkey business, the emphasis is on supply and demand. Needless to say, my sister cannot work around the clock without the needed patronage.

That is, my dear sister has to keep improving the quality and thereby increasing her customer base so as to work around the clock.

My dear reader, indeed, 24-hour economy is driven by supply and demand. For instance, I recently found out that a 24-hour supermarket in my vicinity has ceased its 24-hour service due to poor patronage.

Aside from the supply and demand challenges, my dear sister and many self-employed people face other exigencies, most notably, dumsor (erratic electricity supply).

Honestly, no business or industry can blossom in the midst of an erratic electricity supply (dumsor).

Suffice it to say, businesses and industries did not thrive in the midst of inexpressible dumsor during the erstwhile Mahama administration.

In the days of the unspeakable dumsor under the Mahama administration, we witnessed the endless buzzing of generators all over the country. Most businesses folded up amid massive unemployment.

In those days, self-employed people like my dear sister, the kenkey seller, hairdressers, ice kenkey sellers, and butchers, among others, were the worst affected.

The annoying and costly buzzing of generators across the length and breadth of the country, unfortunately, went on for well over four years to the utter disgust of the good people of Ghana.

As I stated elsewhere, businesses do not need any massive interventions from the government in order to offer a 24-hour service to their customers.

Needless to say, businesses rather need a conducive environment and the provision of vital services such as uninterrupted electricity supply.

My dear reader, if I’m operating a successful restaurant, why do I need the government to coerce me to offer 24-hour service to my customers?

The 24-hour economy is not a policy; it is an economic system already being practiced in most free market economies, including Ghana. So what is the big deal?

In fact, I was quite amazed to see booming business activities in some areas in Accra and Kumasi when I visited Ghana last December.

Evidently, the industrious Ghanaians, including my dear sister, the Kenkey seller, and her minions, are blissfully engaging in a 24-hour economy without any intervention from any government whatsoever.

Given the circumstances, I would like to believe that former President John Dramani Mahama is only trying his level best to hoodwink the unsuspecting voters. If that were not the case, how on earth would Mahama promise a 24-hour economy after bizarrely sitting on a common dumsor for close to five years?