24-Hour Economy ‘Atɔ nsuo mu’ – Afenyo-Markin

Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin has dismissed President John Dramani Mahama’s much-touted 24-hour economy policy as a failed promise, describing it as “Atɔ nsuo mu”, an Akan phrase meaning “it has drowned.”

Addressing a press conference in Parliament to assess the President’s 120-day performance, Afenyo-Markin criticised the government for not allocating any funds for the 24-hour economy in the 2025 national budget.

“The President and his men are not on the journey of reform,” he said, adding that the flagship policy has become nothing more than a campaign slogan.

He further accused the government of stifling opposition voices and suppressing press freedom. “Journalists are being harassed, opposition MPs are being targeted,” Afenyo-Markin alleged.

He claimed that National Intelligence Bureau (NIB) operatives stormed his residence wielding guns in what he believes was an attempt to intimidate him for speaking against the administration. He maintained that such actions signal a dangerous slide into authoritarianism.

Afenyo-Markin also repeated his claim that a group within the NDC is scheming to extend President Mahama’s stay in power through unconstitutional means. “They are not reforming the constitution; they are creating a Trojan horse to push a third-term agenda,” he warned.

The Minority Leader vowed that the NPP and the Minority in Parliament would resist any attempt to undermine Ghana’s democracy, stating firmly, “Ghana is not a hierarchy—we will not allow one man to rule for life.”