Effia Member of Parliament, Isaac Boamah Nyarko, has described the government’s 24-Hour Economy Programme as a rebranded version of the erstwhile Akufo-Addo government’s One District One Factory (1D1F) initiative.

The comments come after the Minister of Employment, Labour and Jobs, Dr. Abdul-Rashid Pelpuo, announced that more than 400 private companies have applied for government incentives to participate in the 24-Hour Economy Programme.

The initiative is intended to support the private sector, increase value creation, boost exports, and expand employment opportunities across Ghana’s economy. Dr. Pelpuo said the programme is expected to significantly transform the country’s economic landscape.

Speaking on the Channel One Newsroom on Saturday, February 21, Nyarko compared the current programme to previous government projects, including the Big Push, suggesting that the 24-Hour Economy is essentially 1D1F being reviewed and relaunched.

“What I see in the 24-Hour Economy is a rebranded 1D1F, like they did with the Big Push. The Big Push were all projects that were being run by the NPP government in terms of road infrastructure. They repackaged it and called it Big Push. So I see this more as 1D1F being reviewed and being recalled as the 24-Hour Economy,” he said.

Nyarko also highlighted the scale and impact of the 1D1F initiative, noting that it attracted hundreds of companies and created thousands of jobs.

“Do you have an idea how many companies signed up for the 1D1F? Go and check. The 1D1F had in excess of 600 companies. At the time in 2023 to 2024, we had rolled up close to 200 companies having fully participated and gone for the 1D1F, employing directly over 15,000 people,” he added.