Former President-cum-NDC presidential-candidate, John Dramani Mahama has promised Ghanaians the introduction of a 24-hour economy in Ghana should they elect him the president of Ghana come 7 December 2024. He has promised them the implementation of the said policy that is capable of drastically reducing the level of unemployment in Ghana, if not getting rid of it.

Before delving into the success or failure of such a policy when established in Ghana, I have first to define what a 24-hour economy is, and how it came, or comes, about.

A “24-hour economy” refers to the continuous cyclical expansion and operation of economic activities over 24 hours a day 7 days a week, throughout the year, thus “an economic system in which businesses and services operate around the clock, 24 hours a day”.

How does such an economic system come about and become viable to a country?

When the cities of a country become vibrant with the citizens needing the provision of certain goods and services both during the day and at night, it calls for a 24-hour economic system. When the goods and services of a country are in high uninterrupted demand by other foreign countries and her citizens, and the production of such goods and services cannot sufficiently be met during the day alone in what is a “12-hour economy”, then there is the obligatory need to expand their production throughout the night, hence the 24-hour economy”.

In some cities of some countries, city life does not stop with the sunset. Life continues during the night same as it is during the day. Therefore, services are in constant demand. Take New York, London, Paris, or Tokyo for example. There are international corporate businesses like law firms operating in those cities. With the zonal time differences as per the imaginary longitudinal lines, when it is say, 10 pm in London on Monday, it is 5 pm in New York and 2 pm in California while it is 7 am on Tuesday in Tokyo. With such time differences, we have some corporate law firms that have some lawyers working at night to be able to properly serve their clients in other countries where it may be daytime.

Do we have any such corporate law firms or businesses in Ghana that have such international inclination to require their staff to work at night as in the daytime to meet their job obligations? No!

Do we have an effective public transportation system in Ghana to cater to night shift services? Do we have robust security services to cater to the safety and security of the personnel to carry out the nightly or nocturnal businesses as promised by NDC presidential candidate John Dramani Mahama, the policies-deficient-cum-populist politician?

In the highly advanced economies, they have the police visibly operating, thus, patrolling in their police vehicles 24 hours 7 days a week. The police are almost everywhere, checking the nooks and crannies of the city hence making it safe for a night worker to walk a distance to catch their night bus or train to and from work.

In Ghana, however, it is too dangerous for one’s safety to walk in the streets at certain times of the night. Without a worker’s safety guaranteed, how can they pop out on intent to go to work at night?

There must first be the creation of industries and services whose demand may be in need at night as explained above. Then the provision of services to honestly guarantee the safety and security of the workers. It is then that John Dramani Mahama’s until now thoughtless promise to establish a 24-hour economy in Ghana can be taken into consideration by the likes of discerning Ghanaians as Rockson Adofo, the proud and fearless son of Kumawu/Asiampa soil.

Mahama should rather have promised Ghanaians a relentless fight to unleash lawlessness and crimes before the establishment of a 24-hour economy which already exists in some sectors of the Ghanaian economy, although minimally.

We already have intercity public transport operating 24 hours a day, e.g., VIP buses plying the Accra/Kumasi Road. What about the haulage companies? Are their trucks not moving goods both during the day and at night?

What jobs is John Dramani Mahama intending to create hence his rushed but hollow promise to establish a 24-hour economy in Ghana?

Does he intend to realise his promise to resource the illegal small-scale and alluvial miners to continue to mine during the night as in the day, to bring to fruition his 24-hour economy in that mining sector?

I shall come back on this hasty promise of the establishment of a 24-hour economy in Ghana by the most populist Ghanaian politician John Dramani Mahama. Had he not been captured on video saying he will lie to win the hearts of the electorates when it comes to general elections and the occasion necessitating?

Could his promise to establish a 24-hour economy in Ghana not be one of his many such lies to woo Ghanaian voters?

Ghanaians, please, don’t be naïve to continually be fooled by John Dramani Mahama and his ilk of opportunistic politicians.