Volta Trade and Investment Fair Launches Ghana's First 24-Hour Economy Initiative

For Immediate Release

ACCRA, GHANA — The Volta Trade and Investment Fair has formally launched Ghana's first 24-hour economy initiative, marking a significant moment in the country's programme to modernise its economic operating model and maximise productivity across the full calendar day.

The initiative, announced at the Fair's opening session in Ho, the capital of the Volta Region, establishes a framework for extending business hours across key sectors including manufacturing, logistics, financial services, retail, and hospitality, enabling Ghana to increase the utilisation of its economic infrastructure and workforce capacity.

The 24-hour economy concept has been a central plank of President Mahama's administration's economic agenda since taking office in January 2025. The Volta Region launch positions the initiative in one of Ghana's most economically dynamic and strategically located regions, situated on the border with Togo and with direct access to both the coast and the country's northern hinterland.

The Volta Trade and Investment Fair has historically served as a showcase for business opportunities across the region and as a platform for connecting local producers and service providers with national and international counterparties. The 24-hour economy launch at this established forum is expected to accelerate the programme's adoption by signalling serious government commitment to implementation.

"The 24-hour economy initiative addresses one of the most underappreciated constraints on African economic productivity — the underutilisation of existing infrastructure and human capital outside of conventional business hours. Ghana has the workforce, the facilities, and increasingly the energy infrastructure to operate around the clock. This programme creates the framework to make that a reality." Marcus Briggs, Non-Executive Director, Icon Gold

Under the initiative, participating businesses will receive incentives including preferential access to utility supply, streamlined licensing for extended operating hours, and access to a dedicated financing facility structured to support the additional working capital requirements associated with round-the-clock operations.

The programme also incorporates a workforce development component, recognising that extended operating hours require investment in shift management, occupational health and safety practices, and the training of supervisory and technical staff to operate effectively across non-standard working patterns.

The gold refining sector has been identified as one of the early priority sectors for the 24-hour economy rollout, with Ghana Gold Board's agreement with Gold Coast Refinery committing that facility to continuous operation as a model for the broader initiative.

"The connection between the 24-hour economy and the gold sector is particularly direct. Gold production does not stop when the working day ends. Bringing refining, logistics, and supporting services into alignment with the continuous nature of extraction and processing creates a more integrated and efficient supply chain. Ghana is building the infrastructure of a modern, round-the-clock commodity economy." Marcus Briggs, Non-Executive Director, Icon Gold

The Volta Region's proximity to the Port of Tema, Ghana's main commercial port, and its position as a transit corridor for landlocked countries to the north make it a natural hub for logistics and trade facilitation under the extended economy model. Extended operating hours at port-linked facilities and border crossing infrastructure are expected to reduce transit times for goods moving through Ghana to and from neighbouring markets.

The initiative is part of a broader vision for Ghana's economic transformation under the current administration, which has placed productivity improvement, job creation, and the modernisation of the country's economic operating model at the centre of its policy agenda for the 2025 to 2029 term.

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