The government’s 24-Hour Economy initiative cannot materialize without a reliable energy supply, and hence the downstream petroleum regulator, the National Petroleum Authority (NPA), is preparing grounds to support the full implementation of the flagship initiative.
The NPA, as part of its efforts, has completed months of pilot exercises, infrastructure upgrades, and inter-agency coordination.
The regulator says its 24-Hour Committee is close to completing its work and will soon submit its final report. This will mark a significant step toward operationalising round-the-clock economic activity in key parts of the petroleum value chain.
Speaking on the sidelines of the Africa Extractives Media Fellowship (AEMF) Training, the NPA’s Director of Business Development, Godwin Yaw Konu, revealed that pilot programmes have already been conducted in selected areas to test the operational viability of the initiative at full implementation.
Osu Pilot: Testing Nightlife and Fuel Supply
According to the Director of Business Development, one of the most visible pilots took place along Osu Oxford Street during the Christmas season. Several filling stations on the stretch were made to operate extended hours as part of a broader nightlife activation initiative.
This exercise was designed to test demand patterns, security coordination, and infrastructure capacity under extended operating conditions.
Godwin Yaw Konu says that after this pilot, the NPA has learnt valuable lessons, particularly about lighting, safety, visibility, and operational coordination.
“The 24-Hour committee is almost done with its work and will submit its reports. In December, during Christmas, we had some sections of the filling stations on the Osu Oxford Street running 24 hours, where we piloted the nightlife. A number of filling stations on the Osu stretch were used for the pilot. We’ve learned some lessons from there,” he noted.
Tema Depots: Extending the Supply Chain Clock
The regulator also piloted extended operational hours at selected petroleum depots within the Tema enclave. While not running a full 24-hour cycle, some depots operated between 10:00 p.m. and midnight, which was a significant shift from traditional closing times.
The aim of this pilot is that if Ghana is to sustain a true 24-hour economy, fuel supply logistics must align with that ambition. Storage, loading, and vessel discharge operations cannot remain confined to daylight hours.
After this pilot, the NPA has directed operators to upgrade lighting infrastructure at depots and jetties to enable safer late-evening and night-time discharge of vessels. Improved illumination is expected to reduce operational risk while increasing throughput capacity.
“We’ve also piloted some Depos in the Tema enclave, although they didn’t run the entire 24-Hours, we gave them an extended period of time running from 10:00 PM to 12:00 PM, and that kind of thing. We learnt some things. We think that there are some little bit of things that we can check, for instance, lightning and stuff,” he narrated.
He added, “We have gotten the players to increase the infrastructure, so they are improving more on their lightning. The jetty as well, we have asked the operator to improve the lighting so that we are able to start discharging of vessels at a very late in the evening, all to make sure that we run the 24-Hour Economy.”
Security Architecture Taking Shape
NPA admits that security is a central concern in any 24-hour economy initiative. Godwin Yaw Konu disclosed that the Inspector-General of Police has established a dedicated police department focused exclusively on 24-hour economy operations.
A police representative currently serves on the NPA-managed 24-Hour Committee, ensuring security considerations are embedded into implementation planning.
This coordination signals that the initiative extends beyond commercial ambition; it is being structured with enforcement, monitoring, and risk mitigation mechanisms in place.
The Bottomline
With the NPA’s own committee nearing completion of its work, and the passage and assent of the 24-Hour Economy Authority Bill, it appears that the regulator is poised to move from experimentation to structured rollout.
The initiative, experts believe, if successfully executed, could become a transformational pivot for Ghana’s economy.
For now, the downstream petroleum sector, one of the foundational pillars of the 24-Hour economic framework, is poised to support the initiative.
