Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin has taken aim at the government for what he describes as a lack of clarity and commitment to its widely promoted 24-Hour Economy initiative in the newly presented 2026 Budget Statement.
Speaking after Finance Minister Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson laid the budget before Parliament, Afenyo-Markin noted that despite earlier assurances that the 24-Hour Economy would create significant employment opportunities, the budget made no explicit mention of the policy.
During the presentation, Dr. Forson announced that government is targeting total revenue and grants of GH¢268.1 billion for 2026, an 18.3% rise from the GH¢226.7 billion projected for 2025. He also revealed plans to create up to 800,000 new jobs across various sectors next year and disclosed a GH¢110 million allocation to support the implementation of the 24-Hour Economy Programme aimed at enhancing productivity, boosting exports, and driving job creation nationwide.
But the Minority Leader insists that the government’s actions do not match its rhetoric.
“When Ghanaians voted for the NDC, they were promised jobs, delivered through the flagship 24-Hour Economy, where a single job would run three shifts to create three employment opportunities. Go to Ga Mashie and other areas; the youth are asking where the jobs are and where the 24-Hour Economy is. Yet the budget doesn’t even mention it. Meanwhile, MPs are still singing praises of a policy they cannot point to,” he said.
Afenyo-Markin argues that the omission raises serious concerns about the government’s readiness to implement the programme it has heavily promoted.
