President John Dramani Mahama has launched construction of a 24-hour market in Bimbilla, part of a nationwide plan to expand commercial activity and improve links between farmers and consumers.
The project is one of 261 markets to be built across Ghana under the government’s 24-hour economy program, a flagship initiative aimed at stimulating economic activity at the district level. “Today we are here in fulfillment of a promise we made during the campaign of 2024 and the manifesto of NDC that we presented for the election of 2024,” Mahama said at the ceremony.
He said markets play a central role in circulating money and connecting production with consumption, particularly in agricultural areas. “And so one of the major ways to stimulate economic activity and to circulate money in the economy is to build markets,” he said.
The Bimbilla facility is expected to be one of the largest model markets in the northern part of the country, reflecting the area’s importance as a major producer of yams, maize, beans and groundnuts. Mahama said the market will include warehouses, security services, healthcare facilities and financial services to support continuous trading.
“And so Bimbila being an important food producing area, it is only proper that Bimbila should get one of the largest model markets,” he said. The project will feature 10 large warehouses to improve storage and distribution of agricultural produce, helping farmers manage supply and reduce post-harvest losses.
“And so this market is going to improve economic activity and like I said it will be the linkage between markets, households and the farm,” he added. The president also urged contractors to ensure high construction standards, noting the long-term significance of the infrastructure.
“This market is going to be there for hundreds of years. Our grandchildren and our great-grandchildren will come and do business in this market,” he said.
Beyond trade, Mahama said the facility will create jobs, including administrative roles to manage round-the-clock operations. The launch forms part of a broader infrastructure push that includes road construction across the country. Mahama said nearly 2,000 kilometers of roads are currently under construction, supported by about 50 billion cedis in funding.
He also addressed recent public debate around the government’s primary healthcare rollout, clarifying the role of newly introduced vehicles. “Those tricycles are not ambulances,” he said.“They are vehicles for the health workers who are engaged in the primary health care program to go to the village, deliver vaccinations, and then also to do health screening.”
The Bimbilla market is expected to strengthen agricultural trade in the northern corridor while supporting the government’s wider push to boost productivity and regional development.
