President John Dramani Mahama has unveiled Grow24, a cornerstone of his administration’s sweeping 24-Hour Economy and Accelerated Export Development Programme, aimed at transforming Ghana’s agricultural sector through the irrigation of over two million hectares of land for year-round intensive farming.
Speaking at the official launch of the 24-Hour+ initiative on Wednesday, July 2, in Accra, President Mahama invoked the legacy of Ghana’s first President, declaring a bold return to visionary planning and integrated national development.
“Today, we’re recreating Kwame Nkrumah’s dream. Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah’s vision comes alive again. Under Grow24, we will irrigate over two million hectares of land to drive intensive agriculture. Grow24 is about boosting agricultural productivity, agro-processing, and food security,” he stated.
The 24-Hour+ Programme is structured into one Full Report and eight targeted subprogramme reports—Grow24, Make24, Build24, Show24, Connect24, Fund24, Aspire24, and Go24—each addressing specific pillars of national transformation.
Mahama Breaks Down the Subprogramme Vision
President Mahama outlined the strategic focus of each subprogramme, positioning them as building blocks of a self-reliant and inclusive economic model:
Make24 – Focuses on developing agro-industrial parks, particularly in textiles, pharmaceuticals, and food processing.
Show24 – Targets the establishment of tourism and creative industry clusters, with an emphasis on harnessing the cultural and economic potential of the Volta Lake area.
Connect24 – Aims to upgrade the country’s logistics, transportation, energy, warehousing, ports, and digital infrastructure to support 24-hour economic activity.
Build24 – Accelerates construction of public infrastructure, housing, and critical works to support industrial and social expansion.
Fund24 – Unlocks innovative financing through credit guarantees, venture capital, and blended finance instruments.
Aspire24 – Focuses on building the skills, values, ethics, and digital competencies needed to drive competitiveness.
Go24 – Catalyses entrepreneurship and business activation across sectors, empowering MSMEs and startups.
President Mahama said that while the programme is national in scope, its flagship pilot will be anchored in the Volta Economic Corridor (VEC), leveraging the underutilised resources of the Volta Lake and its environs.
“Ladies and gentlemen, our first president, Dr Kwame Nkrumah, envisioned the Volta project at Akosombo not only as a source of power to support industry. He also saw it as an integrated project for agribusiness, land irrigation, and agricultural expansion. Unfortunately, that part of his vision has been lost.”
“Today, we are recreating Kwame Nkrumah’s dream. Today, Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah’s dream comes alive again,” President Mahama affirmed.
Programme Targets 1.7 Million Jobs
Described as a nationwide economic reboot, the 24-Hour+ Programme seeks to create 1.7 million quality jobs over four years by extending economic activity beyond traditional hours and integrating core sectors into an efficient, export-oriented value chain.
The initiative is designed to unleash the full potential of Ghana’s labour force, day and night, reduce the country’s dependence on imports, and significantly expand its export base.
By combining infrastructure, technology, finance, and human capital development, the programme aims to establish Ghana as a globally competitive economy, rooted in productivity, resilience, and inclusivity.
