Seasoned journalist, Paul Adom-Otchere, says ongoing road works on the Madina-Accra corridor present an opportunity for the John Mahama government to begin implementing its proposed flagship 24-hour economy policy.
The host of Good Evening Ghana on Metro TV on Tuesday, March 10, 2026, questioned why construction activities on the busy stretch were being carried out during the daytime instead of at night when traffic is lighter.
According to him, shifting the work to nighttime hours would ease congestion while also serving as a practical example of the government’s 24-hour economy agenda.
“This is a government that has been talking about 24-hour economy that they are not able to start. This is a wonderful opportunity for the government to start it,” he said.
Adom-Otchere argued that night work would allow commuters who rely on the road during the day to move more freely.
“Why don’t you close it at midnight and open it at 5 a.m.? They do that in Europe all the time,” he said.
He explained that the road, which forms part of the George Walker Bush Highway corridor, serves several densely populated areas including Adenta and Madina, where many residents travel daily to central Accra for work.
“It is trite understanding that the George Walker Bush Road is one of the busiest roads in the capital of this country,” he said, adding that the communities along the corridor house many workers who depend on daily commuting to earn a living.
Adom-Otchere said the daytime construction has significantly increased travel time for commuters.
“It must take an average worker more than three hours to get to work from these environs and return home by 11 p.m. because this is happening,” he said.
He noted that even without the ongoing construction, many workers in areas such as Adenta already wake up very early to beat traffic.
“If you live in and around Adenta you must learn to wake up around 4 a.m. and get to work by 8 or 8:30 a.m. Today you must do earlier to get in the same time or even later,” he said.
Adom-Otchere further criticised what he described as the slow pace in operationalising the 24-hour economy policy.
“Somebody wrote something on social media and said that the 24-hour economy secretariat closes at five. That’s telling, isn’t it?” he said.
“If you say we are doing a 24-hour economy, this is an opportunity to start it,” he added.
Adom-Otchere further argued that conducting road construction at night may cost more but would support economic activity while reducing the burden on commuters.
“It might cost you a bit more because you have to bring lights and you have to bring people, you have to bring food. You are already energising the 24-hour economy,” he said.
He urged authorities to consider the impact of such decisions on ordinary workers who rely on the road to earn a living.
“Let’s not continue to punish poor people in this country. We do a lot to punish poor people. We never think about them,” he said.
Metrotvonline
