Ms Ebi Bright, the Tema Metropolitan Chief Executive, has promised to work towards making the Metropolis the flagship city for Ghana’s 24-Hour Economy policy.
Ms Bright said the policy was designed to increase productivity, create decent jobs, and enhance service delivery across all sectors, indicating that already, the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA) and the TDC Company Limited, located within the metropolis, had launched 24-hour services, a clear signal of the area’s readiness.
Delivering her first sessional address at the TMA’s General Assembly meeting, she said that they were working with businesses, labour unions, security services, and utility providers to create the infrastructure for round-the-clock productivity.
“Imagine markets that never sleep, businesses that operate in shifts, and youth finding work at all hours. This isn’t a dream-it’s happening now.”
Touching on the government’s ‘Accelerated Export and Industrialisation Programme,’ she said with Tema’s strategic location, industrial base, and export logistics capacity, they were developing tailored interventions to plug into the national export drive.
Ms Bright said their focus would be on agro-processing, logistics, and light manufacturing, backed by capacity-building programmes from GEPA, GIPC, and the Ghana Free Zones Authority.
“Tema will serve as the final export hub for the Volta Economic Corridor initiative launched by the 24-Hour Plus Secretariat. Every product from across the region will pass through our efficient systems, creating jobs and restoring our industrial pride.
She said for the ‘Big Push Programme,’ under the $10 billion national infrastructure plan, Tema was preparing to deliver key projects, including upgrading its urban roads, school infrastructure, healthcare facilities, including Tema General Hospital, and crucial social amenities such as the sewage and drainage systems.
These projects would stimulate local economic growth and dramatically improve the quality of life, she said.
The MCE, touching on the District Roads Improvement Programme (DRIP), said a Coordinator had been appointed at TMA, and the Assembly had completed technical assessments of inner-city roads in Communities one to 12, the Industrial Zone, as well as the Harbour enclaves.
She said implementation of the programme would begin as soon as the procurement and disbursement phases were cleared.
Ms Bright noted that Tema, was being positioned as a regional hub for digital training under the One Million Coders Programme national initiative , saying the renovated Golden Jubilee Youth Resource Centre would deliver digital skills training, in addition to the Assembly creating computer and AI labs in schools and youth centres through partnerships with the private tech sector.
With the ‘National Apprenticeship Programme,’ Ms Bright indicated that through COTVET, in collaboration with youth organisations like YEA and NYA supervised by the Ministry of Youth Development, they would train more youth in technical and vocational education, preparing them for self-employment or industrial placements in Tema’s growing economy.
She again noted that the TMA was finalising plans to support over 1,000 micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) and youth-led startups with training and registration assistance and access to financing under the ‘Ghana Enterprises Agency and Business Advisory Centre.’
This, she stated, would empower local entrepreneurs to actively contribute to the 24-hour economy and access new export markets.
Commenting on the Agricultural Transformation Programmes, she disclosed that upon assumption of office, she had been charged with the responsibility of coordinating and ensuring the success of all the government’s flagship programmes, including Feed Ghana, Edwumawura, 24 Hour Economy, and other programmes.
“I intend to set up a desk to coordinate and see to the success of these programmes and interventions. Building on the success of national interventions, we intend to expand agricultural programmes to reach more youth and vulnerable groups in the coming years,” she said
The MCE stated that particular attention would be given to boosting the livestock and fisheries sub-sectors, which were critical for food self-sufficiency and economic resilience, adding that market and backyard gardening would be encouraged to ensure an all-year-round food supply within the limited land space.
Ms Bright said these national programmes, combined with the TMA’s local initiatives, create a comprehensive transformation strategy that addresses every aspect of urban development, from infrastructure to human capital and from sanitation to digital innovation.