Minority Leader and Effutu MP, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, has taken a swipe at the Mahama administration’s 24-hour economy initiative, arguing that it appears more like a political campaign message than a properly structured economic policy.
Speaking on The Point of View on Channel One TV with Bernard Avle on Monday, February 16, 2026, the lawmaker questioned the decision to pass legislation establishing a 24-hour economy authority.
According to him, creating a new authority raises concerns about expanding bureaucracy rather than addressing job creation directly.
“This so-called 24-hour economy, I think they themselves understood it more as a campaign slogan than a policy,” he said. “They brought a Bill and passed it to create a 24-hour authority. Another bureaucracy? What do you need a Bill for? If the initiative is to create jobs, you look at the private sector, not government institutions.”
Afenyo-Markin maintained that government efforts would have been better directed at strengthening existing economic programmes instead of setting up a new structure.
He suggested that the Ministry of Trade could have built on the One-District-One-Factory (1D1F) initiative introduced under former President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, which he described as a strong private sector-driven policy.
In his view, reviewing and expanding the 1D1F policy, alongside easing import taxes for businesses, would provide more practical support for job creation.
“You have the Trade Ministry. What they should have done was to continue the One-District-One-Factory policy, a very strong economic programme for the private sector,” he stated. “Relax taxation on imports, review the implementation, and continue the rollout. There’s so much uncertainty in the private sector.”
The Minority Leader’s comments add to the growing debate around the government’s 24-hour economy agenda, which the administration has promoted as a key strategy for boosting employment and productivity.
Story by Sheila Otuo – Baffour