Ghana and 16 other African counties have affirmed their commitment to expand access to electricity to citizens as part of the Mission 300 programme of the World Bank, aimed at connecting 300 million Africans to electricity by 2030.

The 17 countries made the commitment at the Bloomberg Philanthropies Global Forum on Wednesday, September 24, endorsing National Energy Compacts to guide public spending, trigger reforms, and attract private capital.

The other 16 countries are Benin, Botswana, Burundi, Cameroon, Comoros, the Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Gambia, Guinea, Kenya, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia, São Tomé and Principe, Sierra Leone, and Togo.

Since Mission 300 launch in April 2024, some 30 million people have been connected to electricity across Africa, with more than 100 million in the pipeline.

However, only 58 per cent of African’s have access to electricity, although in Ghana, the Statistical Service has indicated that as of the end of 2024, national electricity access stood at 89.4 per cent.

“Ghana believes universal energy access is key to empowering businesses, reducing poverty, and creating equal opportunities,” said, President John Dramani Mahama in making commitment to achieving Mission 300.

“This goal can only be achieved through strong government–private sector partnerships, supported by an enabling environment for sustainable investment,” President Mahama stated.

Mr Ajay Banga, World Bank Group President, noted that electricity was the bedrock of jobs, opportunity, and economic growth.

“Mission 300 is more than a target—it is forging enduring reforms that slash costs, strengthen utilities, and draw in private investment,” Mr Banga said.

“Reliable, affordable power is the fastest multiplier for small and medium enterprises, agro-processing, digital work, and industrial value-addition. Give a young entrepreneur power, and you’ve given them a paycheck,” said, Dr. Sidi Ould Tah African Development Bank Group President.

Mission 300 programme is a partnership by the African Development Bank Group, with support from groups such as the Rockefeller Foundation, Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet (GEAPP), Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL), and the World Bank’s Energy Sector Management Assistance Programme (ESMAP).

It involves African governments, private members and other partners implementing the Energy Compacts to achieve national energy targets and to boost economic transformation. It seeks to promote the use of renewable energy, create jobs and improve lives.

Source: GNA

Ghana will from October 7 to 11 begin a nationwide vaccination campaign against Human Papillomavirus (HPV) for girls aged nine to 14 years.

The exercise will ensure the administration of one dose of the HPV vaccine to girls in efforts to eliminate cervical cancer, the country’s second most common cancer among women.

The Ghana Health Service (GHS) said after the campaign, the PHV vaccine would be integrated into the national routine immunization for girls from age nine.

Globally, cervical cancer remains the fourth most common cancer among women, with 662,301 new cases and 348,874 deaths reported in 2022.

More than 90 per cent of these deaths occurred in low- and middle-income countries.

In Ghana, 3,072 new cases and 1,815 related deaths were recorded in 2022.

Medical experts link over 95 per cent of cervical cancer cases to persistent infection with high-risk HPV types, particularly HPV 16 and 18, which account for about 71 per cent of cases worldwide.

To curb this burden, the Ministry of Health and the Ghana Health Service have adopted a single-dose HPV vaccination strategy using Gardasil 4, manufactured by Merck & Co., Inc.

The vaccine not only protects against HPV 16 and 18 but also against HPV types 6 and 11, which cause anogenital warts and other debilitating conditions.

The upcoming vaccination campaign targets girls aged nine to 14 years, who are known to mount a stronger immune response and are more likely to be vaccinated before HPV exposure.

The GHS says School-based campaigns will serve as the primary delivery approach, with community and health facility options available to reach out-of-school girls.

Health officials say vaccinating 80 per cent of girls within this age group could also reduce HPV infections in boys, contributing to broader community protection.

Recent studies have shown that one dose of HPV vaccine is sufficient to provide long-lasting protection.

Clinical trials in Kenya, India, Costa Rica, and Tanzania all confirmed high efficacy and durable immune responses, with protection lasting at least 10 years.

“These findings make the single-dose schedule both effective and cost-efficient, allowing Ghana to expand coverage and protect more girls,” said health experts.

Health workers are being urged to take the lead in addressing myths and misconceptions about the vaccine.

Some parents wrongly associate HPV vaccination with family planning or early sexual activity, officials emphasized that the vaccine was solely for cancer prevention and has no link to fertility issues.

“HPV vaccines are safe, widely used, and well-studied,” health authorities reassured. “Mild side effects such as pain or redness at the injection site may occur, but no serious adverse effects have been reported.”

To win community trust, health workers are being encouraged to use trusted platforms such as PTA meetings, church groups, and local radio to educate parents.

The HPV vaccination drive aligns with the World Health Organization’s global strategy to eliminate cervical cancer as a public health problem.

 The WHO’s “90–70–90” targets aim for 90 per cent of girls to be fully vaccinated by age 15, 70 per cent of women screened at least once in their lifetime, and 90 per cent of women with cervical disease receiving treatment by 2030.

If successful, the strategy could reduce global cervical cancer incidence by 42 per cent by 2045 and avert more than 62 million deaths by 2120.

Health officials say the introduction of the HPV vaccine marks a turning point in Ghana’s fight against cervical cancer.

One shot protects for years, with strong community support, Ghana can achieve high vaccination coverage and secure a future where cervical cancer is no longer a threat.

Source: GNA

Experts from member states of the Economic Community of West African States are meeting in Accra to review, validate and approve draft regulations for the ECOWAS community levy operations manual.  

The four-day meeting brought together experts from the Central Banks of Member States and members of the ECOWAS Administration and Finance Committee.   

Organised by the Finance and Budget Directorate of the ECOWAS Internal Services Department, the meeting aimed to engage stakeholders in a strategic dialogue for the development of the final version of the ECOWAS Community Levy User Manual.   

The Community Levy, which is the main source of funding for ECOWAS activities, accounting for 70% to 80% of the budget, is a 0.5% tax applied to the total value of goods imported from non-ECOWAS countries.   

Dr Roberts MOIKOWA, representative of the Chairman of the ECOWAS Administration and Finance Committee, who opened the meeting, said the manual was crucial for sustaining the levy and improving compliance.   

He noted that the tax provided between 70 and 90% of ECOWAS budget financing its activities and regional programmes.  

Speaking to the media on the sidelines of the meeting in Accra to validate the draft regulation for the Community Levy Manual of Operations, the ECOWAS Commission’s Director of Budget and Treasury, Molokwu Azikiwe, said the review was crucial to safeguarding the levy’s role as a reliable source of funding for regional integration programmes.  

“The community levy forms about 75 to 80 percent of the programmes and activities of ECOWAS as a whole and is our main source of revenue,” he explained.  

Azikiwe added that the protocol, after nearly two decades of use, must be updated to reflect new realities in trade and revenue mobilization.  

“The idea was that after using this protocol for about 18 years there is a need to amend it, improve it and update it to be able to address current trends in revenue collections,” he noted.  

On the question of enforcement, he emphasized that sanctions for non-compliance remain a policy tool available to the bloc, though final decisions rest with higher authorities.  

“The protocol has a provision for sanctions, but that is the decision of the Council of Ministers and eventually the Heads of State,” he clarified.  

In his remarks, the ECOWAS Commissioner for Internal Services, Prof. Nazil Abdullahi Darma, stressed that “there is no better time than now to develop an effective operations manual.”  

He said that operational challenges warranted a review of the manual in order to make it comply with contemporary realities.   

The final manual will be presented to the ECOWAS Council of Ministers for approval.  

Source: GNA   

Former Finance Minister Dr. Mohammed Amin Adam has commended President John Dramani Mahama for his address at the 80th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), describing it as insightful and a demonstration of leadership on the global stage.

In a Facebook post reacting to the speech, on Thursday, September 25, Dr. Amin Adam praised the President’s focus on critical global challenges, including immigration, financing for development, the Middle East conflict, and climate change.

He said Mahama’s eloquence and perspectives at the UN reflected strong international leadership.

However, the former minister emphasised that such a vision must also translate into tangible results at home.

“It’s important how such a well-articulated vision and approach to international development translates to national development in Ghana, particularly as the reset economy is not resetting, galamsey is out of control, and free speech is being murdered,” Dr. Amin Adam stated.

He expressed hope that President Mahama would apply the leadership principles and perspectives he shared at the UNGA to guide his policies for the benefit of Ghana’s development.

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The Ghana Pharmaceutical Society has raised an alarm over the potential collapse of the country’s local pharmaceutical industry due to the destructive impact of illegal mining, popularly known as galamsey.

According to the Society, galamsey activities are contaminating water bodies and plants that serve as critical raw materials for local drug manufacturing.

Speaking at a forum in Cape Coast on Thursday, September 25, 2025, the President of the Society, Dr. Samuel Kow Donkor, said the situation requires urgent intervention.

“Ghana currently depends on 70% of its medicines on imports. The locally produced medicines need quality water for production, especially for infusion manufacturing. When our water treatment plants are shut down because of galamsey, we will face a catastrophic scenario.

“When that happens, we will not only import our medicines, but we will completely collapse our local pharmaceutical industry,” Dr. Donkor warned.

He stressed that ending galamsey was not only an environmental and health concern but also a matter of national security, as the sustainability of the local drug industry depends on access to safe water and raw materials.

Mahama spoke the truth on Gaza genocide – Dr. Yao Gebe

Ghana may be forced to import cassava in future if viral diseases threatening the crop are not effectively contained, Dr Allen Oppong, Principal Research Scientist, Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR)–Crop Research Institute has warned.

Dr Oppong, who is also Country Director of the Central and West African Virus Epidemiology (WAVE) project, gave the warning at a training of trainers’ workshop in Tamale, organized under the WAVE project to build the capacity of Agricultural Directors and Extension Officers on cassava virus surveillance.

The training brought together officers from 12 districts and municipalities across the Northern, Bono East, Oti, Savannah, and Upper West Regions including Krachi Nchumuru, Krachi West, Kintampo South, Kintampo North, Sagnarigu, Savelugu, Nanton, Mion, Tamale, Central Gonja, West Gonja, Wa East and Sissala.

Participants were trained on the use of the Kobo Collect mobile application for disease monitoring and later engaged in a practical field exercise at a cassava demonstration farm in the Savelugu Municipality.

Dr Oppong explained that cassava, one of Africa’s most important food security and industrial crop, was under constant threat from two major viral diseases, Cassava Mosaic Disease (CMD), which is already widespread in Ghana and West Africa, and Cassava Brown Streak Disease (CBSD), which is rapidly spreading from Central and East Africa.

He said “The Cassava Mosaic Virus attacks the leaves reducing photosynthesis and stunting tuber development while CBSD destroys the tuber itself making it completely inedible. If we fail to take proactive measures, Ghana could one day be forced to import cassava.”

He said cassava was not only a staple food, but also an economic and industrial crop, adding protecting it from viral diseases was key to safeguarding the country’s future.

Hajia Hawa Musah, Director, Northern Regional Department of Agriculture, who was represented at the workshop, commended WAVE Ghana for the initiative noting that the Kobo Collect app would improve field surveillance, reporting, and the breeding of resistant cassava varieties.

Mark Ansong, a participant from the Kintampo South District, emphasised the need for investment in cassava research and development, saying it was vital for food security and industrial development.

Participants concluded that while cassava remained resilient and versatile, its survival depended on early disease detection, strong farmer education, and robust policy support.

The participants are expected to transfer the knowledge gained to farmers in their districts to boost production and safeguard livelihoods.

Arsenal defender William Saliba has agreed a new five-year contract with the club.

The France international has two years left on his existing deal, but BBC Sport has been told he will sign up in the coming days to stay until 2030.

Saliba, 24, joined the Gunners from Ligue 1 side Saint-Etienne in July 2019 but was loaned back to the French club for the 2019-20 season before having further loan spells in Ligue 1 at Nice and Marseille.

He has established himself as a key part of manager Mikel Arteta’s defence since making his debut in August 2022 and has made 137 appearances for Arsenal.

Saliba’s existing contract was due to expire in June 2027 and his impressive form had drawn transfer interest from Spanish giants Real Madrid.

His commitment to the Gunners will be a further boost to Arteta’s Premier League and Champions League ambitions, after Saliba’s centre-back partner Gabriel Magalhaes agreed a long-term deal until 2029 in June.

Arsenal travel to St James’ Park to face Newcastle in the top-flight on Sunday.

Why is Saliba so important to Arsenal?

ByTom McCoy

BBC Sport journalist

Saliba’s centre-back partnership with Gabriel has developed into one of the most formidable in the Premier League. His ability on the ball and reading of the game makes him the perfect foil for the more physically dominant Brazilian.

Saliba has won possession more often than any Arsenal player in the Premier League since his debut in 2022, but he also plays a crucial role in build-up play. He has completed more passes than any of his team-mates over the past three years and is second only to Martin Odegaard when it comes to carrying the ball forward.

The 24-year-old also ranks second in terms of clearances and aerial duels won, with those metrics both led by Gabriel.

Saliba was sorely missed during the during the final two months of the 2022-23 season, with Arsenal’s title chances disappearing while he recovered from a back issue, but he has sat out only four top-flight matches since.

The summer signings of Cristhian Mosquera and Piero Hincapie mean the Gunners are now well stocked in central defence, but securing Saliba’s long-term future is nonetheless a crucial bit of business.

DISCLAIMER: The Views, Comments, Opinions, Contributions and Statements made by Readers and Contributors on this platform do not necessarily represent the views or policy of Multimedia Group Limited.

DISCLAIMER: The Views, Comments, Opinions, Contributions and Statements made by Readers and Contributors on this platform do not necessarily represent the views or policy of Multimedia Group Limited.

President John Dramani Mahama and his Namibian counterpart Dr Netumbo Nandi Ndaitwah on Tuesday held a bilateral meeting in New York, United States.

According to the Ghana Permanent Mission to the United Nations, President Mahama and President Dr Ndaitwah held the meeting on the margins of the 80th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA80) in New York.

The two leaders reflected on Ghana’s historic role in Africa’s liberation and its steadfast support for Namibia’s independence.

In addition, the two leaders reaffirmed their commitment to enhancing cooperation between their nations.

Arsenal defender William Saliba has agreed a new five-year contract with the club.

The France international has two years left on his existing deal, but BBC Sport has been told he will sign up in the coming days to stay until 2030.

Saliba, 24, joined the Gunners from Ligue 1 side Saint-Etienne in July 2019 but was loaned back to the French club for the 2019-20 season before having further loan spells in Ligue 1 at Nice and Marseille.

He has established himself as a key part of manager Mikel Arteta’s defence since making his debut in August 2022 and has made 137 appearances for Arsenal.

Saliba’s existing contract was due to expire in June 2027 and his impressive form had drawn transfer interest from Spanish giants Real Madrid.

His commitment to the Gunners will be a further boost to Arteta’s Premier League and Champions League ambitions, after Saliba’s centre-back partner Gabriel Magalhaes agreed a long-term deal until 2029 in June.

Arsenal travel to St James’ Park to face Newcastle in the top-flight on Sunday.

Why is Saliba so important to Arsenal?

ByTom McCoy

BBC Sport journalist

Saliba’s centre-back partnership with Gabriel has developed into one of the most formidable in the Premier League. His ability on the ball and reading of the game makes him the perfect foil for the more physically dominant Brazilian.

Saliba has won possession more often than any Arsenal player in the Premier League since his debut in 2022, but he also plays a crucial role in build-up play. He has completed more passes than any of his team-mates over the past three years and is second only to Martin Odegaard when it comes to carrying the ball forward.

The 24-year-old also ranks second in terms of clearances and aerial duels won, with those metrics both led by Gabriel.

Saliba was sorely missed during the during the final two months of the 2022-23 season, with Arsenal’s title chances disappearing while he recovered from a back issue, but he has sat out only four top-flight matches since.

The summer signings of Cristhian Mosquera and Piero Hincapie mean the Gunners are now well stocked in central defence, but securing Saliba’s long-term future is nonetheless a crucial bit of business.

DISCLAIMER: The Views, Comments, Opinions, Contributions and Statements made by Readers and Contributors on this platform do not necessarily represent the views or policy of Multimedia Group Limited.

DISCLAIMER: The Views, Comments, Opinions, Contributions and Statements made by Readers and Contributors on this platform do not necessarily represent the views or policy of Multimedia Group Limited.

The decision has sparked concern about the impact on household budgets and business operations

Residents in Keta Municipality of the Volta Region, have expressed frustration following the Public Utility Regulatory Commission’s (PURC) approval of a 1.14 per cent increase in electricity tariffs.

The decision has sparked concern about the impact on household budgets and business operations across the municipality and the region.

The PURC has justified the tariff adjustment as necessary to support utility companies in managing operational costs and ensuring sustainable service delivery and the hike was aimed to help providers cope with financial pressures affecting their services.

According to the new tariff structure, residential consumers using 0-300kWh of electricity would pay GH¢180.19/kWh, while non-residential users will face a rate of GH¢202.17/kWh with the adjustments reflecting on PURC’s efforts to balance consumer interests with utility company needs.

George Awudi, a resident of Dzelukope, a suburb of Keta, in an interview with the Ghana News Agency, said that many residents were worried about the added strain on household finances, particularly those with limited incomes.

“The increase will exacerbate economic hardships faced by many of us ordinary citizens who are already battling with rising cost of living, government must intervene to curb the troubles ahead,” he said.

He explained that the tariff hike had also raised concern for businesses, which have assumed that the increased operational expenses would affect competitiveness and could potentially lead to higher prices for goods and services.

Madam Sese Amegbo, a businesswoman, lamented that the PURC had earlier implemented several tariff adjustments in recent years including 2.45 per cent adjustment in June 2025 in electricity tariffs which highlighted the ongoing challenges in balancing utility sustainability with affordability for consumers.

She said that amidst public discontent, there were growing appeals for government support to mitigate the impact on vulnerable households while some other critics have advocated targeted subsidies or other measures to cushion low-income consumers.

Other individuals such cold store operators, fashion designers, hairdressers, among others, GNA interacted with expressed worry about the new tariff adjustment and appealed to the government to intervene to save their businesses.

They said the country’s economy faced broader challenges, which contributed to higher cost-of-living and pressure and the new electricity tariff increase would affect affordability and economic well-being for many citizens.

Meanwhile, some key factors the PURC said influenced the tariff decisions include inflation, exchange rate fluctuations, and rising fuel costs and considered the elements evaluation adjustments as the only method to ensure utilities remain viable.

The PURC also indicated that the ongoing review of tariff structures was to align with economic realities and utility needs, signaling potential future adjustments based on evolving circumstances in the country’s energy sector.

GNA gathered that the PURC was the institution tasked for ensuring fair and sustainable tariffs balance for consumer and provider interests while the commission emphasized transparency in its decision-making processes.

Former Board Chair of the Ghana Investment Promotion Centre, Alex Apau Dadey

The Executive Chairman of KGL Group and former Board Chair of the Ghana Investment Promotion Centre (GIPC), Alex Apau Dadey, delivered a resounding opening address at the Forward Africa Leaders Symposium 2025.

The event, held in partnership with the Africa Peer Review Mechanism, took place at the iconic home of global enterprise — NASDAQ, New York.

Sharing the global stage with distinguished leaders and innovators such as Dr Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, President of Namibia, Prime Minister of Lesotho, Ntsokoane Samuel Matekane; Deputy Speaker of the Egyptian Parliament and Chair of Cleopatra Group, Mohamed AbdulEnien; and CEO and President of MTN Group, Ralph Mupita, Dadey emphasized the importance of sharing best practices, building meaningful partnerships and charting pathways for Africa’s digital transformation and innovation.

Opening his keynote, Dadey posed a bold challenge, “The challenge before us is not whether change is possible, but how quickly and inclusively we can harness it.

“The answer, I believe, lies in the strength of partnerships genuine, strategic Public-Private Partnerships that unite the innovation, capital and execution capacity of the private sector with the legitimacy, reach, and enabling authority of governments.”

Drawing on a distinguished career spanning over three decades across continents and key sectors, Dadey recounted how his experiences from his journey in the United Kingdom and more than 25 countries to his tenure in public service as GIPC Board Chair have shaped his vision.

At its core, his lifelong passion remains rooted in multilateral collaboration, diaspora socio-economic inclusion and harnessing technology to push boundaries for business and society.

Underscoring the vital role of the private sector, Dadey reaffirmed a principle he has long advocated, “I have always maintained that governments do not create wealth the private sector does.

“Governments on their own cannot drive transformation but sadly, private enterprises that do are most often treated as afterthoughts in national strategies, relegated to the rear when they should be at the center of policy deliberations and implementation.”

He stressed that the most successful PPPs in Africa are those where private-sector profit motives align seamlessly with government revenue generation and public development goals. Citing KGL Group’s ethos, he emphasized, “Wealth created through PPPs should make a lasting impact in the communities where it operates.

“The private sector should not limit PPPs to only commercial collaboration but also be responsible corporate citizens by filling in critical social intervention gaps left uncovered by governments.

“This philosophy gave rise to the KGL Foundation, established as the CSR arm of the Group to fulfil this vision.”

In a thought-provoking moment, Dadey asked, “If multinational corporations can generate wealth in Africa and repatriate it to their home countries, why can’t African countries do the reverse?”

He asserted that Africa’s true path to global scale lies in mastering its own markets, building resilient business models and creating fit-for-purpose innovations.

According to him, the continent must purposefully create African Global Giants, “These champions are not just wealthy individuals; they are economic shock absorbers, role models who inspire the next generation of business leaders.

“They are the anchors of supply chains, the investors in local R&D, and the patient capital that foreign direct investment is not.

“We need an ecosystem where a start-up in Accra can realistically envision becoming a multi-billion-dollar entity that lists here on NASDAQ.”

Dadey closed with a stirring reminder that Africa’s future lies in how boldly it chooses to celebrate, rather than stifle, its own champions.

“We cannot build economies of scale if we constantly cut down the tallest trees,” he declared, urging Africa to purposefully create and support its own Global Giants.

Business mogul Dr Osei Kwame (L) and Afrobeat sensation Gyakie

Ghanaians on social media have praised Afrobeat sensation Gyakie for her modest and elegant appearance during a recent visit to business mogul Dr Osei Kwame Despite’s private automobile museum in East Legon.

Dr Osei Kwame Despite, known for his opulent lifestyle, unveiled the exclusive museum at his mansion in June.

The facility, which boasts a dazzling collection of luxury and vintage cars accumulated over decades, reflects the businessman’s deep passion for automobiles.

Its grand launch attracted hundreds of prominent personalities from Ghana and beyond, eager to admire the remarkable collection.

Fast forward to September, a series of photos shared by popular Instagram page @GhKwaku showed Gyakie seated beside Dr Osei Kwame Despite at the museum, with his son, Ofori, standing nearby.

The trio appeared in high spirits as they engaged in lighthearted conversation, creating a warm and intimate atmosphere.

Social media users quickly lauded the “Forever” hitmaker for her simple yet classy appearance.

Many described her outfit as “refreshing” and “decent,” noting that it stood out in contrast to the glitz and glamour often associated with celebrity visits to affluent personalities.

The World Bank has dismissed the Akufo-Addo administration’s long-standing claim that Ghana’s 2022 economic collapse was driven by global shocks, stating instead that the crisis was fundamentally self-inflicted.

In its 2025 Policy Notes on Ghana, the Bank was unequivocal: “The deterioration of global conditions due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the Russian Federation’s invasion of Ukraine was not the cause of the 2022 macroeconomic crisis; rather, it merely exposed an economy already beset with deep structural vulnerabilities and precarious macroeconomic conditions.”

For years, government officials have attributed the severity of the downturn, marked by surging inflation, a free-falling currency, and eventual debt default, to external factors. The World Bank, however, argues that domestic policy failures were decisive.

It points to weak governance, fiscal indiscipline, and delayed reforms, observing that easy access to capital markets and expectations of natural resource windfalls fostered political short-termism, undermined accountability, and weakened the social contract.

Read Also: DDEP: Ofori-Atta maintains Covid-19, Russia-Ukraine war as causes of economic crisis

The report highlights a recurring pattern of fiscal expansion followed by painful corrections, a cycle that has driven Ghana into 17 separate IMF programs over the past 68 years.

“Sudden macroeconomic stops and crises have led the country to request a record number of IMF programs, remaining under active IMF support for 40 out of its 68 years of history,” the Bank noted.

The human cost has been severe. The Bank estimates that the 2022 crisis and its aftermath pushed more than 800,000 Ghanaians into poverty, with income per capita stagnating around US$2,200 for a decade and poverty now affecting over one-quarter of the population.

Warnings were also issued about renewed fiscal excesses in the 2024 election year. The report cites unbudgeted spending commitments of approximately US$4.8 billion, about 5.7 per cent of GDP, much of it accumulated outside official financial management systems.

“Spending indiscipline poses a critical challenge to Ghana’s macro-fiscal stability… the absence of stringent expenditure controls frequently results in budget overruns and excessive borrowing, undermining efforts to maintain fiscal discipline and compromising long-term sustainability,” the Bank cautioned.

Beyond fiscal mismanagement, chronic inefficiencies in key sectors remain a drag. The energy sector continues to cost about 2 per cent of GDP annually, with arrears mounting despite repeated reform efforts. Meanwhile, COCOBOD’s debt had ballooned to US$1.8 billion by 2024, with its interventions creating distortions that hurt farmer incentives and undermine overall industry performance.

The World Bank stresses that Ghana now faces a critical juncture. Temporary fixes will not suffice. “There is an urgent need to signal a clear break from the past and a commitment to change… Success will ultimately be measured by the ability of the government to regain the trust of its citizens.”

Its policy prescriptions are uncompromising: restore fiscal discipline, expand the tax base, reform state-owned enterprises, and strengthen governance.

Without decisive action, the Bank warns, Ghana risks remaining locked in the destructive cycle of crisis and bailout that has defined much of its post-independence economic history.

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DISCLAIMER: The Views, Comments, Opinions, Contributions and Statements made by Readers and Contributors on this platform do not necessarily represent the views or policy of Multimedia Group Limited.