Factories running through the night, markets operating around the clock and expanded logistics networks are at the heart of Ghana's drive to build a 24-hour export-driven economy, a flagship government initiative aimed at boosting production, increasing exports and creating millions of jobs across the country.

Launched in July, the 24-Hour Economy and Accelerated Export Development Programme, or 24H+, seeks to promote round-the-clock economic activity by encouraging businesses, industries and public services to operate beyond traditional daytime hours.

Under the initiative, the government plans to build modern markets across all 261 districts. The rollout is underway, with the facilities expected to include storage centers, banking services, clinics, childcare centers, police posts and fire stations to support continuous trading activities.

Speaking at the 2026 Ghana-UK Investment Summit held last week, Augustus Goosie Tanoh, presidential adviser on the 24H+, said the program is on track to create 1.7 million productive jobs by 2028.

He said four agreements signed in the past 90 days are expected to generate more than 160,000 jobs, putting the program firmly on course to meet its employment target. The projects include a solar farm and a bioenergy project.

Chinese companies are also major participants in the initiative. In April, the Hunan Architectural Design Institute Group signed an agreement with the 24-Hour Economy Secretariat to support technical and industrial planning for the Volta Economic Corridor and related infrastructure projects.

The corridor is a spatial-industrial development plan aimed at transforming the Volta River Basin into a logistics and production backbone. It is expected to anchor agroecological parks, industrial hubs and inland water transport systems to facilitate low-cost north-south economic integration.

Tanoh said the initiative currently has a pipeline of 18 bankable projects open for private sector participation and leadership.

"24H+ will be implemented by the private sector through private financing, not by central government agencies drawing down on the consolidated fund or deploying sovereign debt," he said.

"Government will make policy, facilitate, coordinate, incentivize, strictly regulate, backstop (where necessary) and tax appropriately but not deliver."

Policy analysts say the concept holds promise but will require careful implementation to achieve its intended outcomes.

According to Paul Frimpong, the executive director and senior research fellow at the Africa-China Centre for Policy and Advisory in Ghana, the policy is directionally strong, but its impact is likely to vary depending on location.

Despite the potential benefits, Frimpong warned that significant logistical and infrastructure challenges must be addressed to sustain a 24-hour market system.

Security remains a major concern, particularly for traders operating at night. Adequate lighting, enhanced policing and organized market-level security systems will be necessary to ensure safety, especially for women traders.

Emmanuel Amoah-Darkwah, an economist and partner at C-KADD Global, a Ghana-based consultancy firm, said the initiative is feasible but substantial work remains to ensure its successful implementation.