Growth After Dark: How Zambia Is Rethinking Productivity

Zambia is shifting focus: not on what it produces, but when. By moving toward a 24-hour economy, the country seeks growth through smarter time use in a capital-limited environment. This idea has a precedent. Cities like New York and London already run 24-hour economies—finance, logistics, entertainment, and services operate nonstop, pushing activity beyond regular hours. Ghana is now creating clear policies for a 24-hour economy to increase jobs and grow industry. Zambia follows this global and regional trend.

From Daylight to Full Cycle

A 24-hour economy is an operational model in which economic activity runs continuously through shift systems rather than being restricted to traditional daytime hours.  This includes:

• Retail and markets operating beyond standard hours
• Financial services extending access windows
• Transport and logistics run continuously
• Manufacturing and industrial production utilizing full-day capacity

A 24-hour economy is about more than longer hours. It uses idle resources efficiently.

Growth Through Efficiency, Not Expansion

Limited fiscal space and high capital costs drive Zambia’s 24-hour economy. Rather than building more, a 24-hour model helps:

• Increases output per unit of capital
• Improves returns on existing infrastructure
• Expands service accessibility without new investment

Zambia uses a productivity-led growth strategy, like New York and London, where growth relies on better use of what’s available rather than on building more. Extending operating hours:

• stimulates economic activity
• increases business turnover
• broadens the tax base
• enhances competitiveness

More Hours, More Jobs

The most immediate impact of a 24-hour economy is on labour markets. Shift-based systems:

• create new employment slots without new firms
• allow flexible participation (students, women, part-time workers)
• expand opportunities in security, logistics, healthcare, transport, and retail

With high youth unemployment, Zambia needs more jobs. A 24-hour economy creates jobs and shifts labour demand throughout the day. Ghana targets unemployment, not just productivity, with extended hours.

Lusaka and the Future of African Cities

The model is especially suited to urban centres like Lusaka, where:

• demand for services exceeds daytime capacity
• infrastructure already exists but is underutilized
• informal and formal economies overlap

Extending operating hours:

• reduces congestion during peak periods
• increases consumer access
• improves revenue circulation for SMEs

This change turns an 8-hour city into a 24-hour system. London did this by adding nighttime activity to the formal economy.

Where the gains accrue

Not all sectors benefit equally. The strongest gains are likely in:

1. Financial Services: Extended banking and digital transactions, and greater liquidity circulation

2. Retail & Informal Trade: Increased turnover and access to new customer segments

3. Transport & Logistics: Continuous movement of goods, and reduced bottlenecks

4. Manufacturing: Higher capacity utilization, and lower unit costs over time

New York relies on these sectors—logistics, finance, and services—all running across time zones.

The Constraint Layer: What Could Go Wrong

The success of a 24-hour economy, however, depends on resolving key structural constraints:

1. Energy Reliability: Continuous production requires a stable electricity supply—a known vulnerability in Zambia. The country’s leadership needs to ensure a stable electricity supply by investing in grid infrastructure and diversifying energy sources. They need to prioritize reliable power as a foundation for continuous activity.

2. Security Infrastructure: Night-time economic activity increases policing requirements and private security costs. The country’s leadership needs to enhance security through increased policing and incentivize private sector investment in safety for businesses operating at night, while also developing urban safety standards.

3. Labour Regulation: Shift systems require fair wage adjustments, worker protection frameworks, and health and fatigue considerations. The country’s leadership must establish clear labour regulations for shift work, including wage policies, worker protections, and health measures, and monitor implementation and compliance.

4. Demand Elasticity: Extending hours does not guarantee demand— consumption patterns must adapt.

Even London needed policies for policing, transport safety, and worker protection for 24-hour success.

A Model Whose Time Has Come

Zambia’s push comes at a critical moment:

• Post-debt restructuring recovery
• Exposure to climate shocks (e.g., drought impacting agriculture)
• Need for non-capital-intensive growth strategies

A 24-hour economy offers:

• low-cost expansion of GDP potential
• improved resilience through diversification of activity cycles

This aligns with a broader shift seen in emerging markets like Ghana, where policymakers are increasingly looking inward—optimizing existing systems rather than relying on external capital inflows.

Time as an Economic Resource

Zambia’s 24-hour economy marks a real change. The focus shifts from more investment to making the most of current resources. Capital may be scarce, but time isn’t. Zambia’s 24-hour economy recognizes time as a key resource.  By extending activity over 24 hours, Zambia aims to:

• unlock hidden productivity
• expand employment
• accelerate urban economic intensity

If effective, this policy could guide African economies—just as New York, London, and now Ghana have shown: Growth comes from using time better, not just adding resources.