{"id":71737,"date":"2025-07-11T14:18:21","date_gmt":"2025-07-11T14:18:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/?p=71737"},"modified":"2025-07-11T14:18:21","modified_gmt":"2025-07-11T14:18:21","slug":"24-hour-economy-risks-repackaged-dependency-without-stronger-agricultural-and-industrial-foundations-imani","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/?p=71737","title":{"rendered":"24-Hour Economy risks \u201crepackaged dependency\u201d without stronger agricultural and industrial foundations \u2013 IMANI"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\n \t<\/i> Read Time:<\/span>2 Minute, 57 Second <\/div>\n\n <\/div>
\"24-Hour<\/p>\n

Policy think tank, IMANI Africa, has described Ghana\u2019s 24-Hour Economy initiative as a bold but vulnerable vision that could fall short without a solid foundation in agriculture and domestic production.<\/p>\n

In its latest report titled \u201cCriticality Analysis of Governance and Economic Issues\u201d, released between June and July 2025, the organisation warned that the country risks replacing one form of dependency with another if the structural groundwork is not urgently laid.<\/p>\n

Initially perceived by the public as a job creation strategy centred on extended working hours, IMANI argues that the policy blueprint is far more ambitious and far more demanding.
\u201cThe policy isn\u2019t about working around the clock. It\u2019s about making the economy work better, deeper, and more sustainably,\u201d the report notes, reframing the 24-Hour Economy not as a labour issue but as a systems transformation agenda.<\/p>\n

Agriculture as the Missing Link<\/strong><\/p>\n

A central tenet of IMANI\u2019s critique is that the policy rightly identifies agriculture as the cornerstone of Ghana\u2019s industrial transformation, but fails to show whether sufficient groundwork has been done to support this role. It commends the government for recognising that \u201cyou cannot industrialise what you cannot produce,\u201d but questions whether the systems needed to scale production, such as irrigation, agro-credit, and land governance, are in place.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt shows the government understands the centrality of agriculture to Ghana\u2019s macroeconomic and industrial performance,\u201d the report acknowledges. However, it warns, \u201cHere lies the real test: Are we building the value chains needed to feed this new economy, or are we just outlining bold targets without the groundwork?\u201d<\/p>\n

Textile Ambitions, Cotton Realities<\/strong><\/p>\n

The report points to the government\u2019s plans under the Strategic Manufacturing Value Chains (SMVs), especially in textiles and garments, where ambitions to expand Akosombo Textiles Limited and Tex Styles Ghana are high. Yet IMANI flags a gaping hole in the value chain: cotton production.<\/p>\n

\u201cGhana\u2019s cotton production is currently declining and fragmented. Without rebuilding the cotton value chain from farm to ginning, spinning, and weaving, these textile ambitions cannot be sustained,\u201d the report says. It cautions that the country may end up relying heavily on imported yarn, undermining competitiveness and defeating the policy\u2019s self-reliance goals.
IMANI contrasts Ghana\u2019s approach with that of Benin, which \u201cbuilt a thriving cotton sector first, then developed the Glo-Djigb\u00e9 Industrial Zone to convert that raw cotton into high-value textile exports.\u201d<\/p>\n

Systems Thinking Without Systems Readiness?<\/strong><\/p>\n

While lauding the policy\u2019s integrated vision, the think tank questioned Ghana\u2019s readiness to implement such a systems-led approach.
\u201cThe 24-Hour Economy is right in framing economic transformation as a systems challenge. But do we have the right foundation to implement this vision?\u201d the report asks.
It adds: \u201cWithout these pieces, the risk is that Ghana tries to industrialise on paper while continuing to import the raw materials it claims to replace. That\u2019s not transformation, it\u2019s repackaged dependency.\u201d<\/p>\n

Conclusion: A Cautious Endorsement<\/strong><\/p>\n

IMANI Africa does not reject the 24-Hour Economy policy. In fact, it acknowledges that the initiative marks a \u201cdeeper, more mature vision of economic transformation,\u201d especially in how it seeks to knit together production, supply chains, industry, and human capital. But the think tank insists that without pragmatic investment in primary production and critical infrastructure, the policy will not live up to its transformative promise.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe jobs,\u201d IMANI concludes, \u201care not the starting point. They are the outcome of coherent growth in the productive sectors.\u201d<\/p>\n