I recently watched with utter astonishment, a video clip, indirectly advertising the seemingly nebulous 24-hour economy, in which the protagonist, patently out of his depth, bizarrely, and somewhat comically trying to transact business at around 2.30am in the bank.

Given the bizarre circumstances, it is not quite surprising to see the ordinary men and women struggling endlessly to grasp the basics of the much touted 24-hour economy, after all, the promiser has so far failed to properly articulate the economic system to the understanding of Ghanaians.

The fact of the matter is that the 24-hour economy is a free market economy which primarily survives on supply and demand, with little or no government intervention.

Therefore, I cannot get my head around as to how and why the so-called experts with little or no expertise would claim somewhat incoherently and impetuously that the demand side is not a big deal in the Mahama’s much-publicised 24-hour economy.

Honestly, the 24-hour economy can only survive in a conducive environment replete with adequate infrastructure and/or provision of vital amenities such as electricity.

It is against this backdrop that I honestly advised my family and friends not to jump for joy over the Mahama’s seemingly tentative proposal.

After all, Mahama cannot compel my family and friends to open their stores 24/7 without the needed demand for the products.

Besides, where is the guarantee that there would be no erratic electricity supply(dumsor).

Let’s face it, apart from the all-important demand challenges, my family and friends face other insurmountable hurdles, most notably, dumsor(erratic electricity supply).

Needless to say, businesses and industries did not flourish in the midst of the irritating dumsor during the erstwhile Mahama administration.

In the 2013 World Bank’s Enterprise Survey on African economy, with special emphasis on Nigeria and Ghana, the report concluded that ‘dumsor’ (erratic electricity supply) is the biggest obstacle to the economic growth in Africa and hindrance to businesses and industries (World Bank 2013).

Considering the level of devastation of the annoying dumsor on industries and businesses under his watch, we can understand how and why some concerned Ghanaians are extremely doubtful over former President Mahama’s much trumpeting 24-hour economy.

As a matter of fact, businesses do not need any massive interventions from government in order to operate 24-hours.

The fact of the matter is that no government on planet earth can legislate, compel business owners, or take total control over a 24-hour free market economy.

The 24-hour economy is not a policy, it is an economic system already being practised in most free market economies, including Ghana.

Suffice it to say, the industrious Ghanaians are blissfully engaging in 24-hour economy without any intervention from any government whatsoever.

My dear compatriots, the isolated thinker’s notion of legislating or spreading the 24-hour economy to cover every business is virtually impossible, so to speak.

More so, it is quite unreasonable to hear that the same people, desperately pushing for a 24-hour economy fecklessly sold most of Dr Nkrumah’s industries, which were built purposely to boost Ghana’s economic growth.

My dear reader, it was the NDC tradition that perfunctorily adopted a disastrous Economic Recovery Programme (ERP), under the auspices of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and disposed most of the purposely built factories.

Needless to say, the vast majority of tangible national assets, including the state owned enterprises were capriciously sold to friends and families for pittance.

Given the circumstances, we can understand the concerned Ghanaians genuine apprehension on the feasibility of Mahama’s proposed 24-hour economy.

My dear reader, I have always held a firm and unadulterated conviction that the NDC apparatchiks, who bizarrely take pride in the social democratic ideology, are not in the business of promoting the welfare of the masses, but are rather on a mission to advance their parochial interests by persistently proselytising and hoodwinking the unsuspecting voters to gain electoral advantage.

As usual, the 24-hour economy proposal is a farce, similar to the one-time NHIS premium promised by the erstwhile NDC Administration, which was destitute with honesty and integrity.

K. Badu, UK.

k.badu2011@gmail.com