Deputy Ranking Member on Parliament’s Finance Committee, Dr Stephen Amoah, has raised strong reservations about the government’s proposed bill to establish a 24-Hour Economy Secretariat, arguing that the policy lacks clarity and adequate preparation.

Speaking on Joy FM’s Top Story on Thursday, February 5, Dr Amoah said the Minority is not opposed to the concept of a 24-hour economy but is concerned about what he described as a weak policy framework and the creation of overlapping institutions.

“I think they want to have a new law or act or bill to deal with the 24-hour economy, but the policy framework itself has a lot of issues to deal with,” he said.

He questioned the rationale for establishing a new authority when existing government structures already perform related roles, describing the move as inefficient.

“They want to have an authority. This is like buying a plane without an airport,” he remarked.

According to Dr Amoah, the government appears to be rushing the process without thoroughly assessing the sustainability and effectiveness of the proposed Secretariat.

“It looks like they are just rushing with intentions, not appraising its abilities, sustainability, its effectiveness or efficiency, and whether we’re going to really attain the very purpose for which we want to set this up,” he stated.

24-Hour Economy Authority Bill underway - Kwame Agbodza

He noted that Ghana already operates elements of a 24-hour system in sectors such as health and security, stressing that the real economic impact should come from manufacturing and value-chain expansion.

“The emphasis was basically on manufacturing… to make sure that we expand the value chain, not dealing with raw materials and importing everything,” he added.

Amoah further criticised the lack of data backing the proposal, claiming the government has failed to conduct adequate research.

“They haven’t done any research on that. They haven’t collected any data. They haven’t developed any value chain… they haven’t done anything about it,” he said.

Drawing comparisons with Asia and Europe, he noted that large factories there operate multiple shifts and employ thousands of workers.

“One factory can take about 1,000 to 5,000 workers, and they run three shifts. That’s what they do,” he observed.

He also challenged claims of broad stakeholder engagement, calling on the government to publish concrete policy documents.

“I wish you could ask them for any policy document on that,” he said.

NA/VPO