Ghana Could Have Bought a 108-Hour Economy

Ghana could already be operating a 108-hour economy if the reported US$18 billion used to support the cedi had been spent directly on time. The Institute of Economic Research and Public Policy contrasted that figure with the US$4 billion reportedly required for the 24-Hour Economy, establishing an official exchange rate of US$166.7 million per hour.

At that price, the country could buy four complete 24-hour economies and one additional 12-hour economy for emergencies. Mondays would begin at midnight and end on Friday afternoon, allowing factories to run eighteen consecutive eight-hour shifts before Tuesday. Clocks would require three extra circles of numbers, while workers finishing a “morning shift” could return home four sunsets later.

The remaining challenge would be storing the additional 84 hours somewhere safe. Because ordinary calendars cannot hold them, the Bank of Ghana could keep them in the same reserves being used to defend the cedi and release one whenever the economy runs short of afternoon. Ghana would then stop merely operating around the clock and start operating several times around it.

This is satire. The source story is real; the conclusions have been faithfully misinterpreted.