If the first test of a 24-hour economy is whether sufficient demand exists to sustain it, the second is whether the country possesses the infrastructure and labour market systems necessary to support activity around the clock.
The government has argued that a 24-hour economy could help create jobs, improve productivity and boost competitiveness through an eight-hour shift model operating continuously across the day and night.
Yet experts caution that even where demand exists, success will depend on whether critical infrastructure and laboursystems can function reliably beyond conventional business hours.
Physical infrastructure, according to Researcher Douglas Rasbash, must be capable of supporting safe, round-the-clock economic activity. He argues that a 24-hour economy depends on a complex, interconnected web of utility and municipal networks functioning seamlessly.
At the foundation are electricity, water, sanitation and telecommunications. Above these sit transport systems, street lighting, waste management and public safety services. Supporting systems such as healthcare, emergency response, digital payments and regulatory services complete the framework.
“The interaction between these systems is critical,” Rasbashexplains. “Electricity powers lighting and digital payment networks; lighting directly influences public safety and transport usage; transport expands labour market access. A failure in one system, like a power outage, triggers a domino effect across security, communication, and commerce.”
According to Rasbash, Botswana’s infrastructure has historically evolved around a traditional daytime economy, utilising nighttime windows as operational recovery periods for maintenance and resets. However, he notes that the primary challenge is not a lack of physical capacity, but a lack of operational coordination.
“The infrastructure is optimised for peak daytime utilisation. Roads, telecommunications networks, and public buildings already possess vast spare capacity during evenings and overnight periods. Better utilisation of these existing assets could improve productivity and generate greater returns on existing investments without requiring massive capital expenditure,” Rasbash highlights.
Initially, Rasbash believes significant gains can be achieved through targeted interventions: staggered working hours, improved street lighting, concentrated policing, and strategic commercial zoning. However, he cautions that structural weaknesses—such as unreliable late-night public transport, spotty emergency response coverage, and mounting municipal maintenance backlogs—will become increasingly visible if activity expands too quickly.
“A 20 percent increase in economic operating hours does not require a 20 percent increase in infrastructure expenditure,” Rasbash notes.
“Initially, substantial gains come from better coordination. But to move from what is currently an 18-hour economy to a true 24-hour model, Botswana will need systemic upgrades in public safety, infrastructure reliability, municipal service delivery, and transit integration,” he adds.
The Labour reality: Protecting the night shift
The human cost of a 24-hour economy presents perhaps the most significant structural challenge. Abel Maponga, a labour economist at the Institute of Labour and Employment Studies (ILES), stresses that while shift-based work is well established in mining, healthcare, and security, transitioning broader segments like public administration and retail into a round-the-clock model is a steep hurdle.
“The current labour market structure does not support the immediate adoption of a universal 24-hour economy. The evidence supports a sector-specific approach, focusing strictly on industries where shift systems already exist or where consumer demand justifies it,” Maponga points out.
While Labour Minister Pius Mokgware previously stated to Parliament that an eight-hour rotational shift model would boost competitiveness and combat unemployment, Maponga urges realism. He argues that Botswana’s historically weak employment elasticity—which hovers around 0.45 percent for every one percent increase in GDP—means economic growth does not automatically translate into job creation. Simply extending operating hours will not deliver scale employment gains unless accompanied by broader economic diversification and stronger growth in labour-intensive sectors.
Furthermore, Maponga stresses that an unemployed labourpool does not automatically equal a workforce ready for irregular night shifts. A successful transition requires a robust, modernised regulatory framework to prevent a “dual labour market” where nighttime workers are left unprotected.
“Clear, legally enforceable limits on continuous working hours, mandated minimum rest periods, regular health assessments for night workers, and guaranteed premium compensation for irregular schedules would be needed,” Maponga notes.
Real wage resilience, Maponga says, would be crucial; workers cannot sustain irregular schedules if the added expenses of late-night transport, childcare, and meals outpace their earnings.
“The central question is not whether economic activities can continue beyond conventional working hours, but whether the existing labour market possesses the capacity to sustain widespread shift-based employment without compromising productivity, worker welfare, or social cohesion,” he said.
Industry backlash
The private sector response has also been mixed. The Hospitality and Tourism Association of Botswana (HATAB) has strongly opposed the government’s initial framing of the initiative, arguing that an over-emphasis on extended nightlife and alcohol consumption threatens the high-value, conservation-based international image on which Botswana’s core tourism sector depends.
Similarly, entertainment stakeholders have criticised the narrow focus on extended liquor trading hours, labelling it an existential threat to formal event economies. They argue that pilots—such as the Ministry of Trade and Entrepreneurship’s 6:00 AM to 6:00 PM Liquor Trading Pilot launched in December 2025—inadvertently devalued ticketed events by diverting crowds to bars offering free music. Industry players insist that a functional 24-hour economy must be data-driven and built on diversified commerce, cross-sector participation, and public safety rather than alcohol consumption alone.
Despite this, the government continues to champion the model as an essential engine for growth, envisioning a 24-hour economy split into eight-hour shifts driving business operations, services and production around the clock to boost competitiveness while creating job opportunities. In response to mounting anxieties from organised labour movements, government officials have consistently reassured workers that the initiative will not compromise foundational labour protections.
