Vice President Professor Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang has engaged Heads of International Monetary Fund (IMF) country and regional offices in Africa, using the meeting to reflect on Ghana’s economic recovery and the need for a more evolved partnership with the Fund.
The engagement, focused on Ghana’s improving macroeconomic outlook against the backdrop of growing global concerns over debt sustainability and development financing on the African continent.
Professor Opoku-Agyemang outlined key indicators pointing to Ghana’s economic rebound, noting that the country’s current economic reality differed markedly from the recent past.
She cited single-digit inflation, a more stable cedi, and stronger real Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth as evidence of steady progress.
She stressed that the gains were not merely abstract macroeconomic figures but were increasingly being felt across the broader economy. The Vice President said Ghana was entering a new phase with cautious optimism and renewed resolve, driven by reforms that were nationally owned, supported rather than imposed by the IMF, and sustained by the country’s willingness to take difficult but necessary policy decisions.
While acknowledging the continued relevance of international financial institutions in Africa’s development efforts, she observed that recent global and regional developments pointed to Africa’s growing capacity to do more on her own. Professor Opoku-Agyemang emphasized that this rising self-confidence did not diminish the importance of partnerships, but rather reinforced the need for cooperation that was fair, mutually beneficial, and aligned with Africa’s development priorities.
Reaffirming the position of President John Dramani Mahama, the Vice President said Ghana’s relationship with the IMF must evolve beyond emergency support arrangements to a more strategic and development-oriented partnership.
She noted that although Africa continued to face structural challenges such as high borrowing costs, the continent also held immense opportunities, including the transformative potential of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). She said Ghana remained committed to pursuing self-reliance, supported by coordinated, fair, and development-focused international cooperation.
