July 23, 2019

Press Conference: IFS’ Review of the Economy ahead of the Mid-Year Budget Presentation

The Minister of Finance, Mr Ken Ofori-Atta, is expected to present a Mid-Year Review Statement on the 2019 Budget to Parliament in the next few days. To provide context for public discussion of this important policy statement, the IFS has undertaken a thorough review of the economy. The review examines developments in economic growth, macroeconomic stability, fiscal policy, and the public debt since 2017. It further analyses the characteristics of the economic growth that has been experienced in the period and its implications for employment and incomes. The review further examines macroeconomic stability, fiscal policy performance and public debt and […]
August 6, 2019

IFS’ Assessment of 2019 Mid-Year Fiscal Policy Review

On Monday July 29, the Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta, presented the mid-year review of the 2019 budget statement and fiscal policy to Parliament. Notable fiscal policy changes that were announced include energy and communication tax hikes and a request to spend more money (supplementary expenditure estimates) relative to the initial 2019 budget appropriation. Prior to the mid-year budget, the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) had reviewed the economy’s performance and provided recommendations to the government to address challenges identified. In what follows, we assess the notable developments in the mid-year review and make further recommendations to safeguard fiscal stability, which […]
September 24, 2019

IFS attends 4th African Network of Parliamentary Budget Officers Conference

A team from the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS Ghana) has attended the 4th African Network of Parliamentary Budget Officers (AN-PBO) C0nference, dubbed The Role of African Parliaments in Fiscal Oversight: Contributing to the African Union 2063 Development Agenda, which was held from 9th to 12th September 2019, at the Parliament of Ghana. The team presented on the topic Understanding Economic and Fiscal Forecast: Key Elements to Consider, led by Mr. Leslie Mensah, an Economist and Research Fellow at the Institute. The presentation sought to explore tools and approaches that may be used by Parliamentary Budget Officers to verify economic […]
November 22, 2019

Review of the 2020 Budget Statement and Economic Policy

On 13th November 2019, Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta presented the budget statement and economic policy of the government for the 2020 financial year. The statement contained a review of the macroeconomic performance in the first three quarters of 2019 as well as projected fiscal outturns for the whole year. It also outlined the macroeconomic policy direction and targets for 2020 and the medium term.   Click here to read the full report.
August 6, 2020

IFS’ Assessment of Government’s Fiscal Policy Amidst COVID-19

Since the outbreak of COVID-19 in Ghana in March 2020, economic policymaking has been dominated by measures to address the many impacts of the pandemic. In particular, fiscal policy has been deployed on a massive scale to shore up the public health response to COVID-19 and also lessen its effects on the economy. According to the government, taking strong efforts now to tackle the COVID-19 shock will pay off eventually by accelerating the country’s recovery from this unprecedented crisis. In addition to policies introduced since March, the government recently announced the Ghana CARES Obaatan Pa Program, a GHȻ100 billion development […]