IERPP demands full account of 24-hour economy spending

The Institute of Economic Research and Public Policy (IERPP) is demanding that the government publish a comprehensive financing and implementation report on the 24-Hour Economy programme, detailing funds disbursed, expenditure incurred and projects completed.

The institute’s Executive Director, Prof. Isaac Boadi, says the government must account for its financial commitments and demonstrate measurable results from the flagship programme.

Speaking at a news conference in Accra on Tuesday, October 27, he questioned the difference between the GH¢90 million allocation in the detailed expenditure tables of the 2026 Budget and the GH¢110 million cited in the Budget Speech.

“The Budget does not even agree with itself,” Prof. Boadi said.

The detailed expenditure tables allocate GH¢70 million for goods and services and GH¢20 million for capital expenditure under the 24H+ Economy line, bringing the total to GH¢90 million. The Budget Speech, however, states that GH¢110 million has been allocated for the programme.

Prof. Boadi is calling on the government to reconcile the figures and disclose the actual amounts released and spent, as well as the results achieved.

“An allocation is not a release, and a release is not expenditure,” he said.

IERPP is also demanding a comprehensive account of the programme’s financing and implementation to enable the public to track how resources are being used and assess progress.

The Ministry of Finance previously described the GH¢110 million as a facilitating allocation, rather than the full funding for the programme, with additional financing expected from private investors and development partners. However, the explanation does not, on its own, resolve the difference between the two figures in the budget documents.

The institute is urging the government to make the relevant financial and implementation information public to strengthen transparency and accountability.