Government has rebranded its 24-hour economy markets initiative as District Economy Markets, with a target to complete the projects in all 261 districts by 2028.
The Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs Minister, Mahama Ayariga, said the name change was to distinguish the markets project from the broader 24-hour economy policy.
“You would have noticed I didn’t say 24-hour economy markets. Calling them 24-hour economy markets created the impression that the government’s flagship 24-hour economy programme was all about markets,” he explained.
Speaking at the Government Accountability Series on Monday, October 5, 2026, Mr Ayariga said the rebranded initiative will ensure every metropolitan, municipal and district assembly (MMDA) gets a model market.
He said the markets are at various stages of construction nationwide. To fast-track delivery, he said the project has been restructured into two phases.
Phase one, he revealed, will cover core trading facilities including stores and sheds, while phase two will provide ancillary infrastructure such as police and fire posts.
“We re-scoped it into two phases to enable speedy delivery and to have a structured financing arrangement to achieve 100% completion by 2028,” he stated.
Mr Ayariga added that the second phase will be funded from future disbursements of the District Assemblies Common Fund.
According to government, the District Economy Markets are meant to deliver modern trading infrastructure and boost economic activity at the local level.
