Ghana’s medium-term development prospects have been put at risk after two decades of strong and broadly inclusive growth, due to large fiscal and external imbalances in recent years which have led to a slowdown of economic growth. To address these imbalances and safeguard the bright medium term prospects of the economy, the government embarked on its homegrown economic and financial program, but policy slippages, exogenous shocks, rising interest costs, and acute power shortages undermined the effort. With no option left, the government approached the IMF for a medium term program to enable the country obtain some balance of payments support […]

Ghana’s public debt situation has worsened in recent years and the country now faces a high risk of debt distress and increased overall debt vulnerability. Total public debt service-to-revenue ratio (including payments on external and domestic debt) has not only assumed a rapidly increasing path but has breached its indicative long term threshold. Debt service now absorbs a large part of domestic revenues, leaving the country vulnerable to shocks. All other debt indicators have deteriorated owing to deteriorated domestic and external borrowing conditions, weak fiscal consolidation, and weakening of the domestic currency. Maintaining the country’s debt sustainability will require a […]