The Member of Parliament for Oforikrom, Michael Kwasi Aidoo, has criticised the government’s flagship 24-hour economy policy, describing it as “dead on arrival” and accusing the National Democratic Congress (NDC) of abandoning one of its key campaign promises.

According to him, the government has failed to implement the policy it promised Ghanaians ahead of the 2024 general election and is instead attempting to replace it with the recently announced 24-hour market initiative.

Speaking on Asempa FM’s Ekosii Sen talk programme, Mr Aidoo argued that the concept of a 24-hour economy cannot simply be introduced through policy because it is largely driven by market demand.

No matter how you try to explain the 24-hour economy policy, it won’t sit well because it’s not something you can create through policy. Some things are demand-driven, he said.

He noted that the NDC presented the 24-hour economy as the anchor of its campaign manifesto and promised it would create employment through a three-shift system across various sectors of the economy.

It was a major policy for them and was the anchor of their manifesto. We expected they would create jobs that would accommodate three shifts and reduce unemployment, he said.

Mr Aidoo questioned the government’s commitment to the policy, arguing that there was no clear budgetary allocation to support its implementation.

Look at the budget. Where are they going to get the GH¢4 billion for the policy? It’s not feasible, he said.

The Oforikrom MP further alleged that the government has shifted its attention from the 24-hour economy to the construction of 24-hour markets in an attempt to convince Ghanaians that both initiatives are the same.

So the government has now run away from the policy and is now doing 24-hour markets. They are forcing it into the minds of Ghanaians that it is the same as the 24-hour economy, he argued.

He maintained that the concept of 24-hour markets does not reflect Ghana’s current economic realities, noting that many businesses, including shopping malls, close at night because of low demand.

Ghana is not a country where markets run for 24 hours. Even malls close at a point because there is no demand, he said.

Mr Aidoo described the policy as unrealistic and accused the government of using it primarily as a campaign tool.

I think it was for propaganda. They should put their egos aside and tell Ghanaians the truth that it is not feasible, he said.

He questioned why the government had yet to roll out the policy after more than a year and a half in office.

After one and a half years in government, your major campaign promise has not started. When will it start? As it stands now, the 24-hour economy is dead on arrival, he concluded.