New Patriotic Party (NPP) lawmaker and former Finance Minister, Mohammed Amin Adam, has said the government’s proposed 24-hour economy policy can only succeed if it is driven by the private sector rather than the public sector.

In a Facebook post, Amin Adam argued that attempts to expand public institutions into round-the-clock operations without increasing staffing levels were fundamentally flawed and financially unsustainable.

He claimed that expectations of large-scale public sector job creation under the programme were unrealistic, arguing that the country’s wage bill already consumed a significant share of government expenditure.

“The policy, if it will survive, should be private sector led,” he said, adding that the government had yet to provide incentive packages promised to businesses under the 2026 Budget.

“If anyone was expecting that the government would create jobs through the public sector approach, you must be reviewing your expectations because the government cannot fund it,” he stated.

The former finance minister further alleged that funding constraints had slowed implementation of the policy, claiming that resources allocated to the 24-Hour Economy Secretariat had not been released.

“The 24H Economy Secretariat is in coma,” he wrote, adding that the policy was “dead on arrival.”

Amin Adam contrasted the initiative with digitalisation projects introduced under the previous NPP administration, which he said improved efficiency across public services.

He cited reforms including online passport applications, paperless port operations, digital driver licensing systems, integrated government databases, and electronic payment systems for public services.

According to him, future reforms should focus on expanding digital access to government services and creating conditions for private sector growth.

The government has promoted the 24-hour economy initiative as a strategy aimed at increasing productivity, stimulating economic activity and creating jobs.