News:
February 6, 2026
Member of Parliament for Effia, Isaac Boamah-Nyarko, has strongly criticized the proposed 24-Hour Economy Bill, calling it a wasteful duplication of existing government functions. His comments came during the Bill’s second reading in Parliament on Thursday.
The MP argued that creating a new “24-Hour Economy Authority” is unnecessary, as the relevant work is already being carried out by established ministries and institutions.
“Why are we creating an Authority to do what is already there, if not for political gain?” Boamah-Nyarko questioned. “Taxpayers’ money that could fund other vital development programmes will instead be used to establish an Authority, pay CEOs, board members, and officers, while we already have a working framework.”
He pointed out that the Bill’s foundational promise—that one job would create three through a shift system—is absent from the report presented by the Committee on Constitutional, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs.
Highlighting the proposed Authority’s three main pillars—production systems, supply chain development, and labour development—the MP noted significant overlap with existing ministries.
“These areas are already being handled by the Ministry of Trade and Industry, the Ministry of Labour, and the Ministry of Youth and Employment,” Boamah-Nyarko stated. “Why are we duplicating their functions?”
The Effia MP expressed broader concern over the proliferation of state authorities, citing the Ghana Sports Authority and Ghana Trust Authority as examples from the past year. He finds the proposed 24-Hour Economy Authority particularly problematic.
His critique extended to the Authority’s proposed mandate to mobilize capital from banks to finance critical value chains.
“The financing of government projects falls under the Ministry of Finance,” he argued. “It is problematic to give this new body such a mandate.”
He also challenged the report’s focus on anchoring human capital development on job creation through TVET and STEM, questioning the need for a new authority to oversee this established goal.
The Bill continues to face scrutiny as it moves through the legislative process.
Kwaku Sakyi-Danso, Ghanamps.com