Goosie Tanoh : Incentives , Not Compulsion , Will Drive Ghana 24 - Hour Economy

newsghana.com.gh · Feb 24, 2026 · Collected from GDELT

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Goosie Tanoh Ghana’s 24-Hour Economy policy rests on creating the right business conditions rather than ordering companies to run through the night, Presidential Advisor on the initiative Goosie Tanoh has clarified, setting a direct and candid tone for how the newly signed law will be implemented. Speaking in an interview with the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC) on Monday, Tanoh said the government understands that no directive from Accra can substitute for the economic logic that drives private sector decisions. “You can’t force anybody to do 1-3-3. What you need to do is to create an incentive and the environment that allows them to do that,” he said, referencing the one-shift, three-shift model that underpins the policy’s job creation targets. Tanoh explained that the government’s strategy centres on creating favourable economic conditions that make expansion attractive to the private sector, with productivity growth, enhanced industrial capacity and a supportive investment climate identified as the critical levers the policy must pull to achieve results. He was equally direct about the economics of shift work. “Companies operate on the marginal. If the marginal cost of hiring more people and producing the next unit of output is less than the marginal revenue, they are not going to do it,” he said. The comments come less than a week after President John Dramani Mahama signed the 24-Hour Economy Authority Bill into law at the Jubilee House on Thursday, February 20. At the signing ceremony, President Mahama acknowledged that investors are now waiting specifically for clarity on the incentive package before committing capital to expand operations and hire additional workers, framing the next phase of implementation as the most consequential test of the policy’s credibility. Parliament passed the bill on February 6, 2026, following extensive debate between the Majority and Minority caucuses. The Minority raised concerns about potential duplication of existing institutional functions and implementation risks, while the government argued the policy would substantially boost job creation and productivity. The 24-Hour Economy Authority will be responsible for designing operational guidelines, monitoring compliance, and coordinating with security agencies, energy providers and transport operators to guarantee safety and efficiency during extended operating hours. Energy costs are central to whether the economics of night-shift operations will work. Tanoh has previously indicated that industrial parks and agro-ecological facilities operating under the policy will access electricity through special-purpose vehicles at a capped rate of no more than seven cents per kilowatt hour and potentially as low as four cents per kilowatt hour, a deliberate attempt to ensure that power costs do not become a structural barrier to multi-shift investment. Analysts and commentators say the most urgent implementation challenge remains making night-shift economics viable for businesses at scale. Without a credible time-of-use tariff regime, affordable long-term credit lines specifically structured for businesses expanding to round-the-clock operations and sustained infrastructure investment in roads, warehouses and worker safety, manufacturers have limited financial incentive to commit to a third shift regardless of the policy’s stated ambitions. The policy targets the creation of 1.7 million jobs over four years, with a particular focus on youth employment, import substitution and repositioning Ghana as a competitive exporter in regional and global markets. Send your news stories to [email protected] Follow News Ghana on Google News