An exploratory understanding of the policy and how it can propel sustainable economic growth and prosperity for the citizenry[i].
By: Nene Adams Kortey ASAFOTEI (Dr)
Since the announcement of the 24-hour economy policy by the National Democratic Congress- NDC and its Flagbearer for the 2024 Presidential and Parliamentary elections as the foundation for his economic policy and the party’s manifesto [promises], the 24-Hour society vehicle had assumed unprecedented levels of traction and has become a lively topic in boardrooms, management meetings, trade unions discussions, civil society organisations deliberations, security, intelligence and law enforcement agencies brainstorming sessions, local councils and city administrators discussions, and in fact, it also dominates street conversations even amongst ordinary citizens. As much as it had generated traction, so had concerns and reservations persisted when it comes to the meaning and how the framework would be operationalised, most of which are not and should not be considered as political mischief.
The terms ‘night-time economy’, ‘nocturnal economy’, ‘24-7 environment’ and ‘the 24-hour economy’ are used interchangeably and sometimes synonymously with each other, in most cases however, the latter is used to refer to all activities throughout the 24-hour period of the day and for the whole of the 365-days of the year.
It is also vital to note that, this paper utilised a tripod approach of theoretical literature, analytical empirical data, and our current and historical economic situation in making a case for the 24-Hour economy system as a superior transformational economic policy framework to tackle the challenges facing the country and reset the economy unto a sustainable recovery path for the benefit of the citizenry [Diwakar V. et al, 2019; emphasis mine].
The 24-Hour system recognized as a vital contributor to urban growth and cultural enhancement, gained increasing attention from researchers, policymakers, and urban planners, given its potential to stimulate economic growth, create employment opportunities, and promote cultural activities [Edwards, 2010; Morleo, et al, 2012].
Historical Background of the 24-Hour Work Schedule System
The concept of the night-time economy as a key component of the 24-Hour economy system, first appeared in the 1970s in the United Kingdom and Europe.
When Europe’s industrial cities began to experience an identity crisis after transforming from production centres to consumption centres, the night-time economy is said to have been conceived to pull these places back from the brink of ruin.
It was originally associated with people engaged in drinking and nightlife activities and was generally referred to as the “chaos economy” and mostly regarded as an arena for fun and socialization [Rowe and Bavinton 2011; Turner 2005; Zhang et al. 2022].
By the beginning of the 1980s, the traditional universal work-hour schedules lost its rigid character, largely due to increased burden on families and households. This called for more relaxed schedules that allows for people to work more or fewer hours in tandem with their financial and family obligations.
And then into the 1990s, this social arrangement in work-schedule transformation found support through state welfare policies and collective bargaining agreements and contracts.
The flexibilization, destandardization, desynchronization, and individualization of social time and work-schedule were increasingly considered as tools to improve economic competitiveness [Lallement, 1995; emphasis mine] and to accommodate changes in information and communication technologies, and the globalising economies and markets [Garhammer, 1995, ibid].
This resulted in the relaxation of the restrictions on night-time, weekends, and public holiday work and hence the birth of the 24-Hour society and economic system which involves the ‘round-the-clock’ production and consumption, and became considered as normal practices [Garhammer, 1995; Allan et al., 1998; Breedveld, 1998; Masson, 1999; Golden, 2001].
The 24-Hour society is believed to be driven by exogenous or macro-level factors [Allan et al., 1998; Hamermesh, 1999; Masson, 1999; Baker et al., 2003; Presser, 2005].
In other words, the 24-Hour society and economic system is a big macroeconomic policy idea and therefore, we must resist the temptation of oversimplification as opponents and critics may desire.
The 24-Hour economy system provides Local, municipal and metropolitan administrative authorities the opportunity to adopt and support gradual rather than “cataclysmic” change in urban and residential planning that contains “a fine-grain” of mixed uses and aides “continuity of activity and occupation in the street” during day, evening, and part of the night.
What is the meaning of the 24-hour Economy Policy
The idea that man stays late into the night for several activities including earthly pressures, eating and drinking is as-old-as the creation of humanity. However, around the beginning of the 19th Century, nightlife started to take a deferent form, shape, and was extended to include recreational centres, cultural activities and night tourism.
By the end of the 2nd World War, when cities and governments mainly in Europe and North America started facing difficult economic conditions, there emerged an explorative attempt at making the nocturnal city-life more economically viable to accelerate growth and create employment and business opportunities for city residents.
In the past half century, the 24-Hour system has assumed centre-stage in city life planning and governmental policy decision-making in most advanced cities across the globe. In that regard, the definition of the 24-Hour economy system varies from city to city, and from country to country depending on their target and stage of vibrancy of the Night Time Economy [NTE].
The 24-Hour society and economy involves a deliberate process of managing and promoting the growth of economic activities during the evening and night-hours in a manner that balances economic, social, and environmental considerations. The 24-7 environment can be viewed as an extremity of urban vitality or an expression of the city’s image and identity as a social, cultural, and economic powerhouse.
It refers to the various economic activities and businesses that primarily operate during the evening and night-hours, such as manufacturing, power engineering, logistics, retail, hospitality, health, social care, or public services, call centres, delivery hubs, creative arts, etc.
This economic model impacts greatly sectors such as information, telecommunication technology, fintech, business process outsourcing, business to business transactions across borders, entertainment and leisure, dinning, hospitality and health care services provision, transportation and moving services, supermarket, etc.
The strategy and action plan posits that a night-time economy is vital for economic growth especially in the leisure and tourism industries. It breaks the entertainment aspect into theatres, cultural events, restaurants, cafes, bars, pubs, music venues and dance clubs. The aim is to create a vibrant, inclusive, and safe environment throughout the day and the night to support local businesses, enhance cultural experiences, and minimize negative impacts on the community and environment. It also focuses on supporting growth of businesses and industries, fostering entrepreneurship, creating employment opportunities, and encouraging innovative thinking amongst the youth and the business community.
At its nascent stage, the 24-Hour economy involves principally the development of prioritised infrastructure that propels economic activity, security and safety of night life, cultural and social planning that is aimed at sustainable growth, job and opportunities creation, and thereby creating wealth for the people. The system also refers to an economic policy strategy that aims to create a vibrant and dynamic economy that operates around the clock, with various sectors and industries functioning at different times to maximise productivity and efficiency. This approach seeks to leverage the strength of different industries of manufacturing and construction, transportation and security, healthcare and medical tourism, global trade, banking, insurance and business process outsourcing, agriculture production, aquaculture and agribusiness. Others are also of the view that the goal of any 24-Hour society is to create a thriving economy that never sleeps, with a constant buzz of activity, innovation, and growth. This policy often involves relaxing regulations, investing in infrastructure, promoting a culture of entrepreneurship and innovative thinking.
In our peculiar circumstances, provision is made for an operational definition of the 24-Hour economy policy system as envisaged by the flagbearer of the National Democratic Congress for the 2024 general elections, H E John Dramani Mahama.
In that regard, the 24-Hour economy system can be viewed as ‘a deliberate and purposive economic policy implementation; policy enhancement; and policy realisation vehicle to promote sustainable growth and development, provide job and business opportunities for the citizenry and create the platform for innovative thinking and entrepreneurship.
The policy regime will prioritise infrastructure development, transportation and security, financial support to businesses, agricultural mechanisation, and agribusiness. It will also provide technical, logistical and capacity building support for businesses and city authorities to improve policy outcomes [Asafotei, N.A.K, 2024].
So, there are three elements of this definition including policy implementation vehicle; policy enhancement vehicle; and policy realisation vehicle. Implementation because, such a policy is a deliberate effort to put into action a plan and policy regimes to stimulate economic growth, increase productivity, and create jobs by extending business hours and encouraging nigh-time economically viable activities; Enhancement because, by promoting a 24-Hour economy system, the policy aims to enhance existing economic activities, improve efficiency, and increase output, leading to increased economic growth and sustainable development; and Realisation because, the policy seeks to realise or achieve the full potential and intent of the various policy initiatives by government for all sectors of the economy to achieve sustainable growth and development in record time.
This definition aligns with the concept and essence of economic policy by governments to manage and regulate economic activity, promote sustainable growth and improve the standard of living of the people ensuring that the future of the younger and the unborn generation are not damaged- social sustainability [emphasis mine].
It is vitally important to realise that, sustainable economic growth, sustainable development, and sustainable environment, are at the core of the concept of the 24-Hour economy system. In other words, “sustainability” plays a critical role in the whole enterprise of the night-time-economic environment.
The Case for 24-Hour Economy System for Ghana
Our country has had a chequered socio-political history post-independence. From the era of the seven-year development plan under the first president and founder of the republic, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah through military interruptions, and until the birth of the 4th republican constitution under which dispensation we are still operating, we have had some very terrible times in establishing ourselves as an economic powerhouse at least on the African continent. Indeed, around the early days of independence under the country’s founder, Ghana was ranked among the top six economies on the continent.
Currently, the country is struggling to hold even the eleventh or twelve position in Africa. Undoubtedly, “politics became marked by a succession of military coups and fragile political regimes” until the emergency of June 4th Revolution led by Flt Lt Jerry John Rawlings who ushered the country into the fourth republic [Jedwab R. & Osei R. D., 2012; emphasis mine] that birthed the Structural Adjustment Programme [SAP] and its bedfellow or main component, Programme of Actions to Mitigate the Social Costs of Adjustment [PAMSCAD]; Economic Recovery Programme [ERP]; and Poverty Reduction Programmes [GPRSP I&II].
To regain our position of being amongst the top six economies in African, it will require among other things an annual GDP growth rate of 10% over at least a decade, ceteris paribus [emphasis mine]. This is truly a herculean task that comes with vision, strategy and determination.
If one catalogues the history of economic growth from structural adjustment and economic recovery programmes through the poverty reduction programmes in the 1990s, and a decade later, the highly-indebted poor country initiative [HIPC], the country struggled to establish itself economically.
Under the current dispensation, the country even had to go through banking sector clean-up and a draconian yet unsuccessful debt exchange programme which resulted in impoverishing thousands of people including pensioners, and the collapsing of several businesses thereby devastating the middle class.
The consequences were that the domestic economy is facing negative and adverse impacts; glaring inability of government to meet debt obligations now and in the future; poor and below required rates of economic growth; unbridled levels of corruption, nepotism and state capture; ever increasing budget deficit and dwindling national reserves; hyperinflation and depreciation of the Cedi; lowest and worst-ever sovereign rating; there was the need for the rethinking, realigning and resetting of the economy unto a proper footing through “deliberate and purposive transformational economic policy framework” towards employment generation and wealth creation [Diwakar V. et all. 2019; emphasis mine].
From a more statistical perspective, in year 2002, the country Gross Domestic Product [GDP] of good and services was US$6.17 billion with a ten-year average growth rate of 4.50%. As at 2002, the total debt stock stood at US$7.64billion which resulted in us going under the Highly Indebted Poor Country Initiative [HIPC]. A decade later in 2012, GDP growth stood at US$41.27 billion, an average growth rate of 9.29% with a debt position of US$35.4billion. Another decade into 2021, prior to the International Monetary Fund [IMF] debt sustainability review in 2022, the country’s GDP stood at US77.59 billion, an average growth of 5.36% with a total debt stock of US$44.83billion. The growth for this decade was heavily induced by debt, designed to create frontloaded burden for the economy. The IMF review in 2022 puts the country’s debt-to-GDP ratio at over 103% after proper consolidation of the country’s indebtedness.
If you juxtapose this situation over the projected growth over the next decade, one will be justified in saying that, the country’s economic woes would not change that drastically without some kind of visionary cataclysmic transformational economic policy that is implemented with discipline, focus and commitment that makes malfeasance unattractive and/or corruption.
The trend of globalisation and international trade is a further justification for the 24-hour economy system. In fact, global supply chain, international financial markets operations, e-commerce and online transactions including business process outsourcing and call centres, and the ever-expanding services industry with the accompanying penchant for meeting demand needs on a just-in-time basis, collectively provides a good impetus for cities to operate in a 24-7 environment.
The aforementioned phenomenon in the global system rendered borders irrelevant when it comes to commerce and even work. Any economy that has a proportion of its sectors relying on the global trade and the international financial system can no longer afford to side-step the issue of extended hours for services, production and consumption. This aside, the growing leisure economy including night tourism puts pressure on the recreational services sector to extend operating hours.
In short no economy can afford to be limited by their time zone and traditional working hours, when the rest of the world is striving for accelerated and fast-tracked economic growth. These changes and developments in the global marketplace, working in different time zones, integrating regional and branch offices provided great opportunities for multinationals and international companies to reach customers across the globe even if from a single location.
Models of Implementation of the 24-Hour Economy System
The considerations of the societal frame that encompasses the 24-7 environment highlights the intricacy of the subject, closely connected to the multiple facets of human life, therefore to better understand the subject, a framework of the connected issues and context is presented.
The 24-7 system comes in various models, one being the creation of centres of activities within the city to provide vibrant night life; whilst other models favour the creation of an entirely new city and business hubs that are designed and licensed to operation 24-hours a day, 365-days in a year. The third model combines the two models mentioned above and operate them concurrently.
Whichever model is adopted is also dependant on resource availability by the central government and city authorities for a smooth take off. In any case, the tri-city of Accra-Tema-Ashaiman will have different concept and approach to nightlife as compared to Greater Kumasi, Cape Coast, or Takoradi and Tamale Metropolitan areas.
This requires that municipal authorities are given the free-hand to design their own 24-hour city framework based on their peculiar economic, socio-cultural systems and needs. This is also the case for specific industries and business entities.
In simple terms, the textiles and garments sub-sector may have different 24-hour operating system compared to say, the agro-processing value chain, and same for heavy manufacturing, banking and aligned services, retail and fast-moving consumer goods [FMCGs] outlets [emphasis mine].
In terms of work-time schedule, broadly speaking, it is paramount to note that, the 24-Hour economy is an environment with three-time spans of work namely: – Conventional working hour schedules which is the traditional working hours of 9am-to-5pm from Monday through to Friday. Then you have the Extended working hour schedules which starts from 8am or 9am and ends at 10pm or 2am, including weekends and public holidays. And then you have the Unusual working hours or full-blown 24-hour services or production cycle where establishments operate 24-7 nonstop for companies and industries who build their human resource and production capacity over time. Therefore, under the 24-hour economy policy framework, the overarching responsibility of government, city and town administrators is to institute policy regimes that enable businesses to improve or graduate from the traditional working hours to the Extended and then unto the Unusual or full-blown 24-7 system.
One can now corroborate that the theoretical construct of the 24-Hour environment does not imply a city or economy which is constantly dazzling [Iraki, 2009], but an economy built-up from activities of different time-spans that occur within the same spatial structure.
This is why somebody defined the 24-7 system as “an environment where there are possibilities for multiple temporal rhythms, multiple functions and multiple activities to coexist and interact within a finite space.” The “multiple rhythms” and “multiple functions” in this definition connects perfectly with the agglomeration of symbiotic relationship that exists for businesses operating within that system and including a variety of demanded services and functions.
The 24-7 environment promotes “festivals, cultural initiatives aimed at bringing people back to the city, developing office and residential activities, combining or homogenizing in activities of cultural centre facilities, etc., to promote the city as a vibrant cultural habitat [Costa, 2006; Edwards, 2010; Morleo, et al, 2012; Rowe and Bavinton 2011; Turner 2005; Zhang et al. 2022].
You must remember that, I mentioned that the 24-Hour economy policy is a big public policy formulation and implementation regime and therefore comes with complications and nuances, hence we must be careful not to oversimply it thereby rendering it to ridicule. The interplay of urban vitality, agglomeration and symbiotic activities is the foundation upon which the 24-7 environment thrives, builds its success and core competences. Take for example, the interconnected city travels, where travellers and tourists feel safer embarking on such trips during night-time due to safety, surveillance and security measures across major routes for buses, coaches, and even trains. Domestic aviation businesses will also improve drastically providing good experience for travelling at odd hours. Indeed, there are core and emergency services that exist or are needed in any economy such as policing, health care, fire emergency calls, including even some personal and recreational services that are always in demand. But it is puerile, asinine and jejune to rubbish ‘the John Mahama 24-Hour Economy Policy’ by saying that ‘we have chop-bars that operate 24-7’ and therefore, ‘we already have a 24-hour economy’.
Without any argument, gastronomy consistently emerges as a defining characteristic of the night-time economy but to limit the definition of the 24-7 society system to culinary activities during night-times is rather elementary, if not a ‘political mischief’. That notwithstanding, it is the job of policy advocates and communicators to constantly educate and propagate the meaning scope and intent of the 24-hour system for all stakeholders.
The Creation of a 24-Hour Knowledge Factory
The success of the 24-Hour economy policy will depend on careful planning, tactical implementation, monitoring and evaluation mechanisms that are put in place for that purpose. The policy must focus on key pillars as the foundation-stone to ensure success and sustainability. An initial 10 Year 24-Hour Economy Strategy must be prepared by the John Mahama Administration when he assumes office in January 2025. Such a strategy must be spearheaded by the National 24-Hour Economy Secretariat and supported by all government agencies, state owned enterprises, businesses, and key actors of the economy. In other to create ‘a knowledge factory’ which will provide a monitoring and evaluation framework for implementing agencies and actors, major attention and focus must be on the following areas amongst others:
Infrastructure Development -including telecommunications and digital infrastructure, transport-road, rail, air and sea; and information technology;
Intellectual Property-patenting laws and procedures, various strategy documents and overall economic policy formulation regimes;
People and the Business Environment– access to capital, taxation systems, regulations, legal frameworks, access to markets and innovation;
Capacity Building and Talent Nurturing– demand and pressure on managers of firms to build capacity to manage complex organisational and human resource issues that come with the 24-Hour economy system implementation;
Risk Analysis which provides input for public policy decision-making and resource allocation to improve policy outcomes across the entire economic spectrum. It provides framework for risk management and mitigating mechanisms for critical sectors;
Regulatory Framework provides adequate remuneration systems for overtime and holiday work-time payment. This improves employees reward and creates enthusiasm for the work at hand. Within this framework, limits are provided on standard working hours and possible maximum working hours to ensure that, some workaholics do not overstress to protect the health and safety of the employee. This in its entirety, brings about improvement in employee productivity;
Night Time Governance– this involves the deliberate process of collaboration between public and private actors to ensure safety, security and convenience of movement in the cities that are operating under the 24-Hour system. Such governance models can take various shapes, forms and variations, and ensures that, night-time is not restricted to party time, binge drinking, illicit activities such as prostitution, drug abuse, drug trafficking and crime, and other anti-social engagements;
Gender-sensitive Policies and Designs are key in operating a night-time economy. Women must feel safe when walking alone at night or should not be regarded as prostitutes. They are more vulnerable at night even more than the nightworker. Gender inclusivity in the policy design and implementation framework of the 24-Hour economy is paramount for its overall success; and
Policy Communicators must raise the awareness of the relevance of 24-7 environment in economic terms, in social terms, in cultural terms, and in environmental terms with particular focus on “sustainability”, growth and wealth creation for the people.
Key Success Factors of the 24-Hour Economy System
Any authority hoping to make a success of a 24-7 environment, has to have plan, needs to be flexible and horizontal in organisation while following a structured vision for a desired outcome. It must be backed by strong policy formulation, marketing and implementation regimes supported by Key Performance Indicator and accountability frameworks. The knowledge factory must be constantly improved and used as the monitoring and evaluation mechanism to track the progress of the policy.
It also provides opportunities for targeted research and resource allocation regimes that engenders efficiency and reduces corruption and rentseeking. There is the need for collaboration by government with industry; with key cities of Accra-Tema-Ashaiman, Greater Kumasi, Takoradi, Cape Coast, Tamale and Koforidua metros, municipalities and their residents, security agencies especially police and businesses.
This will require policy or strategy formulation for every sector thinkable or identified for the initial phase of implementation. It will involve urban design and redesign, waste management, retail and future city strategies. The future city strategy will be looking at a host of things including the city outlook in the next ten or twenty years and the psychological disposition of residents, vibrancy and vitality, and mobility for everybody including visitors and tourists.
This implies that the future city strategy must focus on building communities around industrial hubs such as healthcare cities; digital technology and artificial intelligence hubs; academic city enclaves; entertainment and creatives arts cities; banking and international financial districts; etc. The agglomerative and symbiotic relationships that are created within and amongst these various hubs and enclaves further goes to support the intent and purpose of the 24-7 environment vision.
Key aspects of Sustainable Development of the Night-Time-Economy
At the core of the 24-Hour economy system or any economic model, is the issue of sustainability. In a discussion paper presented by Costanza R, et al, 2012, for the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals Conference, it was emphasised that economic development models should be focused on “improving human well-being, social equity, while significantly reducing environmental risks and ecological scarcities.”
In that regard, the 24-Hour system is not “all about economic growth or nothing”, it is about ensuring that such wealth creation mechanisms are sustainable economically, socially, environmentally, and provides a clear path for future generations without damaging the psychological and mental disposition of the people. As such, key aspect of the policy must focus on:
Economic Sustainability: supporting the growth of night-time businesses and industries, fostering entrepreneurship, and creating employment opportunities, while ensuring the long-term viability of these sectors [Abraham et al. 2019];
Social Sustainability: promoting inclusivity, diversity, and accessibility in the night-time economy, creating a safe and welcoming environment for all, and ensuring that it caters to various demographic backgrounds and interests [Chen 2011];
Environmental Sustainability: minimizing the environmental impact of night-time activities by implementing energy-efficient measures, reducing waste, promoting sustainable transportation options, and managing noise pollution;
Safety and Security: implementing effective policing strategies- both public and private, improving street lighting and surveillance systems, and enhancing public transportation options to ensure the safety and well-being of residents and visitors [Andersen et al. 2010];
Urban Planning and Design: encouraging mixed-use developments and integrating the night-time economy into broader urban planning strategies to create vibrant, walkable, and well-connected urban spaces that are active both day and night; and
Policy and Regulation: developing appropriate policies, licensing, and regulatory frameworks to support the sustainable growth of the night-time economy while addressing issues related to public health, safety, and community concerns [Madani and Carpenter, 2023].
Strategic Benefits and Attributes of the 24-hour Economy System
There has been talks about the benefits of the 24-7 environment and whether such benefits can make any meaningful impact on the growth of the economy besides the already existing trends, path and trajectory.
The truth of the matter is that, empirical research and accompanying data on the benefits of the 24-Hour economy system is well documented and authenticated. There is evidence which indicates that a well implemented Night-Time-Economy policy contributes significantly to economic growth and increases the revenue generation capacity of cities and the national economy.
Chen et al, 2023, posits that city workers and tourists come to use and enjoy a variety of goods and services provided by the 24-Hour system [Chen et al. 2023; Baijiahao 2019; Bianchini 1995; Field 2008] and other sectors of the economy such as manufacturing and agglomerative services provides immerse benefit to both the local and the national economies.
The night-time-economy also contributes to an increased understanding of day-time economic trends, improving local infrastructure and ensuring safety and vibrancy of the city in its entirety.
Others are of the view that the system is a source of motivation in the regeneration and investment in infrastructure so that it can be used 24-7 which provides ample evidence for efficiency. Such a system helps improve the quality of infrastructure, products and services such as transportation systems, roads, electricity, water, restaurants, shops, and motels in the area [Liem et al. 2022; Phan 2022].
A number of sectors including; transportation, logistics and the supply chain, healthcare; manufacturing, agriculture and agro-processing; hospitality and tourism, entertainment, leisure, food and beverage services; energy, power and utilities; advanced and specialised education and training; financial intermediation services; etc, will receive major boost as the key pillars for economic growth.
The growth in these strategic sectors will result in increased economic activity; job creation and diverse employment opportunities; increased tax revenue for government and municipal authorities; and thereby improving quality of life and convenience for citizens and GDP growth.
The development of pre-market economic models can attract the tourism industry, leading to an increase in the share of tourism in total Gross Domestic Product, promoting economic restructuring and diversification, stimulating the development of economic sectors such as agriculture, industry, commerce, and services.
The Night-Time-Economy helps to restructure industry, rebuild and develop urban areas, encourage domestic consumption, and generate tax revenue for the locality [Chen et al. 2022, 2023; Wei et al. 2023; Wu et al. 2021b].
It promotes and enhances global trade; e-commerce and online services; aviation transportation and travels, international logistics management and trade, supermarket services and delivery services; Information Technology and Business Process Outsourcing [BPO].
The introduction and acceptance of the 24-hour society and economic systems implies the death of overtime emoluments which will result in profit maximization by companies and their shareholders. This is due to the fact that research proves that companies spend more resources on overtime payments to employees.
The key agents of development including government institutions especially metropolitan, municipal and district authorities in collaboration with companies, small and medium-size enterprises, manufacturing entities and creative arts institutions, will gradually build and develop appropriate night-time activities so that such times will not be all about entertainment, narcotics, gambling, culinary, alcohol consumption, prostitution, illicit and illegal acts, etc. Such collaborations will also lead to effective regulations, rules and guidelines for engagement.
The 24-7 environment can and does provide symbiotic interconnectivity through the agglomeration of services which can generate traction. In other words, the concentration of industries in specific geographic locations provides benefits of proximity, shared resources and knowledge spill-overs, interdependence and strategic alliances, which in itself provides collateral for start-up funding and cashflow financing from venture capital institutions, regional and local commercial banks and finance houses. The longer working hours for production and manufacturing enterprises require longer or extended services for other businesses such as food vending, transportation, public and private security services, hospital and medi-care emergency services, etc. The inbuilt flexibility of the system in working hours provides grounds for effective time and schedule management for families [Presser, 2004]; increased productivity; emancipation of women workforce and opportunities for the unemployed; cultural inclusivity and religious flexibility; increased or improved financial standing of the family unit as a result of improved income and possibly extended working-hours; leisure and family outing times can be greatly enhanced and stress-related issues can be dealt with without the family necessarily suffering financially. This increases the quality of life of the family and vitality and vibrancy of the city. Indeed, research also shows that the Night Time Economy system has helped in the reduction of carbon dioxide emission, and correlated positively with Foreign Direct Investment and economic growth.
The 24-Hour environment also creates avenues for improving access to social systems including water and sewerage, energy and power, waste collection and management, healthcare and public service structures, recreational activities and access to childcare; restaurants and hotels-hospitality; logistics and warehouse services for especially fast-moving consumer goods [FMCGs]; marine, ports and related services; education, information, and technology development, telecommunication and the digital economy; security, urban safety, and social order; manufacturing and agribusiness value addition enterprises; construction and real estate development; and international and intercontinental trade.
The abundant opportunities in these sectors provides assurance for the long-term prosperity and security of both local communities, residents and visitors. The improvement and growth in these sectors of the service economy goes hand in hand with women’s participation in the labour market, and these trends are mutually reinforcing. One other key benefit of the 24-Hour system is the formalization of informal sectors of the economy.
As businesses expand operations and increase their human capital, most informal sector and individual enterprises and SMEs will begin the process of operational restructuring and improvement which pushes them into the mainstream productive sector which then pushes them to adopt and engage in good corporate practices including the payment of taxes to local and central government authorities.
If one delineates politics, the 24-Hour economy system will exert immense pressure on governmental and implementing agencies to be strategic in policy decision making and choices; frugal and efficient in resource allocation- allocative efficiency-; and instituting monitoring and evaluation mechanisms to ensure prudency in the disbursement and utilization of allocated resources to assure for value for money.
One key instrument that comes back strongly in the 24-7 environment is that of an active and overseeing influence of the central authority with a strong vision, leadership, focus, and identity, without the support of which no vitalisation effort will succeed. In effect, the system provides an inbuilt assurance mechanism for fiscal discipline, efficiency, prudency, and accountability in the face of various sectors of the economy competing for the same meagre and scarce national resources.
That element of inbuilt assurance mechanism in itself is good for our governance system and therefore one can argue that the 24-Hour system is good in itself. This is a bold statement.
In all though, a well-planned and balance 24-Hour economy policy can bring significant economic and social benefits, improved productivity and increased economic growth; create new job opportunities for industries such as hospitality, transportation, and entertainment; enhance global competitiveness through international trade and investment by providing ‘round-the-clock’ services on demand; and increase tax revenue for government and municipal authorities. The 24-hour system compels governments to invest heavily in telecommunication infrastructure; road and other transportation infrastructure, energy and power generation- because, you cannot operate a 24-hour economy with unreliable power supply- aka dumsor; and other priority sectors of the economy. It boosts and enhances tourism sector growth and makes participating cities attractive.
Undeniable Attributes of a 24-Hour Economy System
Observers postulated that, when implementation systems are activated and the 24-7 environment begins to take shape, there exists visible and undeniable attributes that cities and economies exhibit within the medium to long term.
These attributes included but not limited to:- attractive residential neighbourhoods proximate to or integrated with the central commercial district; convenient shopping opportunities close to the workplace; a safe and secure environment, walkable spaces for pedestrians with less stress; excellent mass transportation that is clean, safe and reliable; availability of recreational, cultural, and environmental amenities; government agencies including the executive, legislature and the judiciary are all actively involved in ensuring the safety of 24-hour cities; improved policy outcomes due to proper planning, resource allocation and prudency in disbursement of allocated resources; reduced corruption due to efficiency in policy implementation; and indeed, fiscal discipline which will ultimately result in fantastic and accelerated economic growth way and above international projections.
The increase in growth figures is also due to increase in consumption and absorption capacity of the economy. Researchers also found that, the vibrancy and vitality of the 24-7 environment opens up the economy, and attracts foreign direct investment in all sectors that hitherto seemed unattractive for FDIs.
Challenges of the 24-Hour Economy System
The goal of local authorities in the Night-Time Economy is to improve urban sustainability through attracting new businesses and expanding existing ones; attract tourists and new residents and making city centres safer and more “vibrant.” The 24-Hour economy vehicle requires that the city must have good and reliable infrastructure to run on.
Critics and opponents have justifiably raised the issues of Infrastructure deficit and resource constraints; legal and regulatory regimes to guide implementation and operationalisation; workforce and skill gaps; environmental and social impacts; transportation reliability; and availability of resources to embark on the massive infrastructure required by the 24-Hour system to run efficiently. These major challenges aside, there were also concerns of security, surveillance and protection systems such as closed-circuit television systems and street lighting mechanisms which are mostly underdeveloped, inadequate and lack of strict monitoring to provide assurance to private businesses and night workers and the fact that most developing economies lagged on energy sufficiency yet the 24-7 environment relies heavily on sufficient, reliable and affordable energy and power systems. Empirical and evidential data indicates that there are the issues of prioritization and politicization of some critical issues relating implementation, which turn to inhibit progress and success.
There is no doubt that empirical data proves that there exists a complex relationship between the night-time economy and social problems such as community safety, public health and individual wellbeing, and the informal sector- prostitution and sex trade, trafficking, drug abuse and addiction, crime and stress, and exploitation of vulnerable individuals [Field 2008; Bianchini 1995; Giancarlo 2017; Hobbs et al. 2003, ibid]. There are also the issues or incidences of high-levels of alcohol and drug consumption, undeclared work and underdeclared trade, tax evasion and other problems that can emerge in the context of the night-time economy. Indeed, based on research, a ranking of the challenges indicated that the most significant challenges were crime, and lack of government support and leadership.
There are also issues of the effect of shift-work or long hours of work and the impact on employees’ health and mental disposition, job creation, business scope expansion and peoples’ engagement in illicit activities. The presence of security and neighbourhood surveillance does not guarantee the absence of crimes and antisocial behaviours. Other research showed that, in some cases, crimes and such illicit activities turn out to be rampant. The 24-7 environment has also been found to have tremendous impact on work-life balance and worker fatigue; noise pollution and disturbance to residential areas and binge drinking.
A research project aimed at investigating good practices in the management of the evening and night-time economies in town centres indicates that there exists a conflict between economic growth and environmental sustainability which in the long run, leads to environmental degradation, pollution in all its forms- air, land and water bodies, and climate challenges. In cities where the blue economy plays a dominant role in the 24-7 environment, concerns have been raised about the destruction of the lagoons, estuaries and coral riffs thereby damaging coastal and aquatic life.
At the governance level, there were concerns of policy development and resource allocation; leadership implementation- style, change initiation, skills prioritization- and organisational implementation. It is therefore vital to ensure that policy formulation and regulatory frameworks to mitigate the negative impact of Night-Time Economy on individuals, families and communities, should be geared towards promoting a more sustainable and inclusive urban development. The mitigation strategies and contingency plans must include security agencies to drastically improve response time to crime and emergency situations, elimination of bureaucracy in the implementation processes, and ensuring that healthcare and critical illness support systems are well-placed to respond adequately to some of the social impacts of the system.
There must also be the effort at structuring a beneficial welfare system that is affordable by the central government to protect and provide safety nets for the most vulnerable in society and the unavoidable social fall-outs as a result of the implementation of the policy.
The Operationalisation of the 24-Hour Economy System
The question of how the 24-Hour economy system can be operationalised and the complications arising therefrom also presents issues of concern and confusion amongst the major critics and opponents of the policy. For the system to take effect, there is the need for a quadrilateral framework that must be put in place including the government system and all agencies; city authorities and assemblies; big corporates, private business and SMEs; and the workers unions, city residents and the entirety of the citizenry. All these groupings have complementing roles to play in ensuring the successful implementation of the policy providing a comprehensive and balanced approach to understanding the complexities and interconnectedness the process. The public announcement and launching by government to implement such a system, the establishment of the national secretariat responsible for its implementation which is backed by the necessary legislation by the parliament of the republic are all key ingredients towards the operationalisation of the 24-7 environment policy regime.
This must be supported by cultural transformation and attitudinal change towards intentional policy formulation for all sectors including Ministries, Municipals and District Assemblies and its propagation. The legal framework must be all-inclusive to enable compliance by cities, industries, businesses and workers. There is the need for comprehensive discussions by stakeholders on the legal frameworks and policies including legislation on noise-levels within specific localities to promote the success of the 24-Hour economy. Empirical data provides insight into striking a balance between economic growth and community safety, ultimately contributing to the sustainable development of the night-time economy [Field 2008; Hobbs et al. 2000, 2003; Fu and Wang 2021; Wang and Wang 2023, ibid]. When such a balance is achieved, investors can be attracted to develop infrastructure and new types of services in cities and towns to create a vibrant and safe night- and daytime economy [Turner 2005; Rowe and Bavinton 2011b; Baijiahao 2019].
There will also be the need for replanning and remodelling of our cities to make them safer, more convenient to facilitate compliance of these cities into a full Night-Time Economy.
This will involve massive infrastructure development and smart designs of residential estates and corporate buildings and construction of drainage and sewerage systems to ensure clean and friendly communities, and cities to create vitality.
The single most debilitating environmental challenge is the issue of flooding especially in Accra and other major industrial and commercial hubs of Tema, Kumasi and Takoradi, etc. The ability of government to permanently revolve this decades-old problem by designing and constructing an interconnected and integrated sewerage and drainage system for Accra-Tema-Ashaiman alone will provide an added boost to the implementation and success of the 24-hour system.
This puts demand on urban planners and urban designers to sharpen their skill sets on what it takes to make their cities 24-7 environment sustainable, compliant and attractive to investors, workers and tourists alike.
Such an environment leads to economic growth which also implies vibrancy and activeness on the stock exchange, banking and insurance services subsectors, massive boom in manufacturing and agro-business and processing, social and cultural gains, and can even become spatially beneficial for tourists and night adventurism.
From the introductory stage of the policy system, implementing agencies and city authorities must commission in-depth studies into evaluating the demand, potential, measurability, direction, and requirements for city-wide night-time economic development across various industries, fields, and localities. This will assist in reshaping the direction and focus on priority areas for resource allocation for the success of the entire policy system.
Conclusions
The 24-7 environment system is indeed, a superior transformational economic policy vehicle that will impact various sectors of the economy. The system will revolutionise policy formulation, resource allocation and monitoring and evaluation mechanisms. It will impact our approach to work and leisure, urban planning and infrastructure development.
The 24-Hour policy will compel decision-makers to prioritise key and needed infrastructure whilst ensuring that adjustments and refinements are made to bring about equity in the development agenda for the country. By embracing sustainability and inclusiveness in the policy decision making process, we can create vibrant and thriving cities that support the wellbeing and prosperity of residents and visitors alike.
By the grace and favour of God, John Dramani Mahama and the NDC will give you the 24-Hour Economy from January 7, 2025. The question however remains as to whether this economy policy vehicle can operate well in the current status quo of corruption, nepotism and state capture. The answer is emphatically, NO.
This therefore requires of you as the youth and the hope of this country to play a dual role of ensuring first accountability and transparency on his part as the sitting president; and secondly ensuring that the past government accounts for their stewardship within the rule of law devoid of witch-hunt.
[i] Dr Asafotei is a Financial Economist with expertise in financial management, monetary economics, strategic management, commercial and investment banking, derivative instruments and markets, taxation and fraud examination, forensic auditing, and corporate and venture capital funding He is a Senior Adjunct Lecturer with the School of Graduate Studies, University of Professional Studies, Accra [UPSA]. He lectures in Compliance and Regulations of Pension Schemes. He has keen interest in financial markets operations, regulatory regimes by the Central Bank, and the impact of government policy on the lives of the citizenry.
