24-Hour Economy mirrors 1D1F policy - Gifty Ohene-Konadu

Former Monitoring and Evaluation Director at the Office of the President during the administration of former President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, Gifty Ohene-Konadu, has argued that the current government’s proposed 24-hour economy concept closely mirrors the One District One Factory (1D1F) policy introduced under the previous administration.

According to her, the 1D1F initiative was a private sector led industrialisation policy designed to promote manufacturing, create jobs, and stimulate economic growth across the country.

Speaking on the subject, Ohene-Konadu explained that the Akufo-Addo government supported businesses under the programme through several incentives, including duty waivers, tax holidays, infrastructure support, subsidised loans, technical consultancy and market access.

She noted that many of the factories established under the 1D1F initiative were already operating multiple production shifts, including night operations, which the proposed 24-hour economy seeks to promote.

Ohene-Konadu questioned why the current government led by President John Dramani Mahama would discontinue the 1D1F policy only to promote a concept that, in her view, reflects similar operational principles.

“Most 1D1F factories already operated night shifts, which the 24-hour economy concept professes. So why cancel the 1D1F policy only to focus on night operations which were already an integral part of the 1D1F implementation?” she asked.

She further argued that the infrastructure and industrial base created under the 1D1F programme would make it easier for any government pursuing a 24-hour production system.

According to her, without the earlier industrial investments made under the policy, the proposed 24-hour economy could have faced serious infrastructure challenges.

Ohene-Konadu suggested that instead of abandoning the programme, government could have strengthened the 1D1F policy by providing additional support to entrepreneurs.

She proposed that policymakers focus on raw material supply support and flexible loan packages to enable factory owners to modernise their production facilities to meet current industrial standards.

The former coordinator of the programme maintained that the objectives of the 24-hour economy, boosting economic growth, creating jobs and reducing poverty — are largely the same goals the 1D1F policy sought to achieve.

She described the 1D1F initiative as a comprehensive and forward-looking industrial policy, adding that the 24-hour economy may simply reinforce the framework that had already been established.

“I think the 24-hour economy is more of a political slogan that reinforces the 1D1F policy,” she said.

Ohene-Konadu previously served as Monitoring and Evaluation Director at the Office of the President during the administration of former President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and also worked as Coordinator for the 1D1F initiative, where she monitored the implementation and performance of factories established under the policy.

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