Mahama’s 24H+ Programme targets major economic boost with Volta Lake

President John Dramani Mahama has announced plans to turn the Volta Lake and its surrounding area into a key center for industry and transport, as part of the government’s 24-hour economy policy.

Speaking at Jubilee House on Wednesday, May 28, President Mahama said the “Volta Economic Corridor” would be the backbone of the 24H+ Programme. “The time has come to move beyond hydropower and to position the Volta system as the backbone of a new industrial Ghana,” he said.

Although the Lake has helped power the country through hydroelectricity, the President said it hasn’t been fully used for other economic purposes. “For decades, the Lake has been central to our electricity generation thanks to the foresight of Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah and the dedication of the VRA,” he noted. “But it remains largely underutilised in its broader economic potential.”

Under the 24H+ plan, the Volta Basin will become a major production area and a transport route. Plans include:

● Using over two million hectares of land near the lake for farming

● Developing fishing industries

● Building industrial parks to process food and make products for local use and export

“These parks will serve both domestic and regional markets,” the President said. To support this, the lake will also be turned into a transport highway to link northern farms with southern ports, cutting transport costs. “In the medium term, it will rebalance the geography of industry, allowing investors to site factories beyond the congested coast,” Mahama added.

To make this work, the government will build new ports, buy floating equipment, and work with both public and private investors to keep things running smoothly.

Beyond the Volta region, the full 24H+ Programme targets key sectors like agriculture, clothing, medicine, manufacturing, and digital services. “It identifies the structural bottlenecks facing our economy and addresses them comprehensively through infrastructure, finance, land systems, and skills development,” the President said.

Support will include:

● Industrial parks, better transport, and financial help from the Development Bank and Venture Capital Trust Fund

● A skills programme called Aspire24 to prepare youth for jobs in the 24-hour economy

The programme also offers tax relief, faster approvals, and local task forces to help districts grow their own sectors.

The plan will be launched on July 1st, 2025. “This is no more just a vision. It is a plan. A structured, sequenced, and inclusive plan. And it is already in motion… Ghana is ready to take this next step. And we are taking it together,” President Mahama said.