Environmental protection and the 24-hour economy

Ghana is facing a growing environmental crisis driven by a combination of factors including deforestation, pollution (air, water, and plastic) and the harmful impact of human-made climate change.

These issues have significant consequences for public health, livelihoods, the natural environment and the economy. How will the government’s 24-Hour Plus (24H+) initiative impact the environmental crisis?

President Mahama describes 24H+ as a ‘national reset … moving beyond political rhetoric to a coherent, multi-sectoral economic transformation agenda’. 24H+ has three main goals: transforming production, improving markets and building human capital. 24H+ covers 50 projects in eight key areas: Grow 24 (food and agriculture), Make 24 (manufacturing), Build 24 (infrastructure), Show 24 (tourism and creative arts), Connect 24 (physical and digital connectivity), Fund 24 (finance), Aspire 24 (skills) and Go 24 (mobilising citizens). President Mahama claims ‘[t]his structure ensures depth and focus … We’re not attempting to fix everything everywhere all at once.

We’re targeting high-impact, job-rich and export-oriented sectors with strong forward and backwards linkages. 

Adopting 24H+, the government seeks to fulfil the National Democratic Congress’s manifesto pledge: to revitalise the country’s economy. 24H+ targets a transformative impact on Ghana’s economy, improving economic growth, labour and welfare. 

Environmental impact

Little has so far been mentioned about the policy’s impact on a further key area of Ghana’s economy: the environment. Improving Ghana’s ailing environment presents formidable challenges requiring sustained, holistic policy formulation and implementation, particularly in relation to energy consumption, waste management, and resource utilisation.

When President Mahama formally introduced 24H+ on July 2, in Accra, the only overt mention of the environment was a policy to massively increase solar panels to reduce Ghana’s dependence on imported sources of energy and thus save massive amounts of foreign currency.

Saving massive amount of dollars by producing more solar panels and reducing the need to buy expensive energy from abroad is highly desirable but it does not amount to a comprehensive policy on the environment.

More, much more, needs to be done. 

Accra is Ghana’s economic hub whose development is undermined by the capital’s increasing vulnerability to regular, intense floods, which are not only economically destructive but also highly disruptive to thousands of people’s lives on a regular basis.

Accra’s vulnerability to flooding is significantly influenced by local factors, which have been in place for decades, significantly exacerbated by the impact of climate change.

24H+ should address local causes of flooding, which include poor waste management, urban planning issues, and inadequate drainage systems. In addition, climate change is altering rainfall patterns. It’s a combination of these factors that leads to regular, serious flooding in Accra. 

Unlocking the 24-hour economy depends on a constant supply of power. Mahama’s defeat in the 2016 elections was preceded by a period of persistent and erratic power outages, popularly known as dumsor.

Exploiting Ghana’s abundance of sunshine, 24H+ seeks to fix dumsor conclusively via the aforementioned installation of solar panels.

More generally, transitioning to renewable energy sources like solar and wind power is crucial to mitigate the environmental impact of increased energy demand as Ghana’s prosperity grows. 

What about other environmental issues? How can 24H+ help significantly to reduce environmental degradation and damage?

Key here is efficient resource management.

This can be achieved by implementing circular economy principles, promoting resource efficiency, and minimising waste generation: all are essential for environmentally sustainable operations.

There is an urgent need for improved environmental regulations and enforcement.

Strengthening environmental regulations and ensuring their effective enforcement is vital to protect ecosystems and prevent pollution, especially during the dynamic economic upgrade envisaged in 24H+.

A sustained policy on climate change adaptation is crucial. Integrating climate change adaptation strategies into the 24-hour economy policy framework is necessary to build resilience to the impacts of climate change.

What about Ghana’s seas, the source of much of the nation’s nutrition in the form of fish and other sea life?

The Chief Executive Officer of the Environmental Protection Authority, Prof. Nana Ama Browne Klutse, underscoring the vital role of oceans in sustaining life and the nation’s economy, has called for urgent and united action by all sectors of society to preserve the country’s ocean resources.

Continued degradation poses serious threats to food security, livelihoods, and national development. Embracing the ‘blue economy’, which emphasises sustainable use of marine resources, is crucial for managing the environmental impact of the maritime and fishing sectors and for helping deliver the goals of 24H+.

Trailblazer

24H+ is also a massive opportunity for Ghana to be a trailblazer in Africa, a regional leader in the Green Transition.

As a green manufacturing hub, Ghana could position itself as a regional centre for low-carbon manufacturing and resource-efficient industries, leading to massive green job creation.

The transition to a ‘green’ – that is, sustainable – 24-hour economy would create numerous new job opportunities in renewable energy, waste management, and other green sectors. 

24H+ is Ghana’s big economic bang.

If things go according to plan, Ghana could be well on the road to economic rejuvenation by the end of the current government’s term in office, that is, January 2029.

With a developed environmental policy, 24H+ could lead to climate-resilient economic growth integrating environmental sustainability into economic development.

This would help Ghana to achieve climate-resilient growth, contribute to global efforts to combat climate change, and make the country a green leader in Africa.

The writer is Emeritus Professor of Politics, London Metropolitan University,UK
The writer’s email address:  tsjhayn1@londonmet.ac.uk