The nuts and bolts of a 24-hour economy

Lewanika Timothy | Tuesday December 16, 2025 11:26

Globally, the night-time economy is a multi-billion-dollar engine of activity, supporting millions of jobs across transport, hospitality, healthcare, energy, security, entertainment and urban services. Its appeal lies in its simplicity: extend trading hours, increase labour shifts, and unlock more spending. But the glossy promise masks a complex architecture.

The World Economic Forum (WEF) estimates that the global 24-hour economy stretching from varying sectors such as logistics, travel, manufacturing, hospitality will grow from roughly US$9.4 billion in 2024 to nearly US$25 billion by 2035. In several advanced markets, night-time activity contributes as much as four percent of GDP.

However, the WEF also cautions that night-time success does not come from simply allowing shops or factories to stay open longer; it requires coordinated policy, urban planning and infrastructure reform. It demands a rethink of transport systems, electricity availability, labour rules, safety and environmental management. Without these, the night economy collapses into an unsafe and unproductive after-hours experiment.

It is against this backdrop that the Ministry of Labour and Home Affairs recently sought parliamentary approval for P1.1 billion under the National Development Plan 12 (NDP12), while simultaneously signalling plans to transition Botswana into a 24-hour economic system based on three eight-hour shifts.

In the minds of technocrats at the Government Enclave, this shift-based economy will stimulate job creation, enhance productivity, boost efficiency and strengthen occupational health and safety standards.

“Botswana faces a significant unemployment challenge, especially among youth,” Labour and Home Affairs minister, Pius Mokgware told Parliament. “The “12-hour economy” i.e., restricted operating hours, also contributes to unemployment challenges, and hence our commitment to introduce a 24-hour economy. “This will also save huge amounts of money on overtime and the exposure to the risk of working long hours that comes with exhaustion and less concentration of employees.”

Despite these assertions, before any nation throws the switch on for a 24-hour economy, there are non-negotiable pre-requisites ranging from physical infrastructure, labour regimes, safety nets, public transport, reliable energy, enforcement capacity, and coherent tax policy without which the model collapses under the sheer weight of its activity.

The policy announcement seems to be outpacing the chat on what enabling infrastructure actually costs and who pays. To start with, is the hefty question on energy availability. Botswana’s power infrastructure has been that of demand outpacing supply with the country relying on imports from neighbouring countries like South Africa.

Botswana Power Corporation now spends over P400 million monthly on imports after South Africa’s Eskom hiked tariffs by more than six times in weeks from 80 thebe to P5.55 per kilowatt hour. This exorbitant cost has ballooned BPC’s debts to P2.6 billion, threatening even basic power procurement. Recently there were revelations that Botswana risks being cut off the grid by Eskom entirely if debts mount further.

Energy experts globally hint that a 24-hour economy is one that consumes double its normal energy requirements raising critically questions of energy supply for the lauded 24-hour economy mandate.

There could be light at the end of the tunnel though. Recently after years of blackouts, boiler explosions, and expensive electricity imports, Botswana’s troubled Morupule power complex was said to be earmarked for an investment turnaround.

President Duma Boko announced that the government has secured a multi-billion pula deal with a consortium of global investors to rehabilitate Morupule B, extend Morupule A’s life by 15 years, and put the country on the path to energy self-sufficiency offering hope for stronger power supply.

Transport and mobility is another fundamental pre-requisite for the planned 24-hour economy. An economy of that nature is meaningless if workers cannot get to work safely at 2am, or if goods cannot move smoothly between factories, storage facilities, and markets at any hour. As it stands Botswana’s public transport is in tatters, with poor compliance to safety standards alongside an aging transport fleet in an industry prone to strikes.

The road infrastructure in which these transport operators work in, has worn down as well and requires billions of Pula in investments.

In countries where the 24-hour model works like Singapore and New York, night-time public transport runs reliably, and logistics networks are integrated with continuous port, rail and highway systems. This is an area where Botswana must invest extensively if the idea is to shift from political statement to economic reality.

Fiscal policy must also be calibrated carefully. Tax incentives, duty waivers and subsidised electricity can stimulate private-sector participation, but they also strain national revenue if not accompanied by significant productivity growth.

Policymakers need clear modelling on which sectors can viably operate at night. Ghana , a country that has launched a solid framework for a round the clock economy, has identified manufacturing, agro-processing, logistics, service exports and port activity as core beneficiaries.

Botswana must identify its own sectors with likely candidates that can include mining support services, food-processing, logistics, healthcare, ICT services, creative industries, and hospitality.

Environmental sustainability also looms in the background as a silent but decisive factor for the 24-hour economy. Running an economy non-stop increases pressure on electricity systems, water supply, waste management and carbon emissions. Without an integrated sustainability plan, Botswana risks trading short-term economic gains for long-term ecological costs.

There is more to launching ambitious policies. The shift demands shrewd planning, mapping forecasting and redesigning policies again and again.