Finance Minister Strikes Upbeat Tone About Economy as IMF Begins Fifth Programme Review
Ghana’s finance minister, Cassiel Ato Forson, has told a visiting International Monetary Fund delegation that the government’s efforts to stabilise the economy are beginning to bear fruit, even as risks to the outlook persist.
Speaking at the opening of the fund’s fifth programme review in Accra on Monday, Dr Forson said that while the country entered 2025 under severe economic strain, “firm efforts and collective action” had helped to steady the tide.
The IMF mission, led by Ruben Atoyan, is assessing Ghana’s progress under its $3bn extended credit facility, agreed in 2023 to restore fiscal discipline and shore up investor confidence after the country defaulted on its external debt.
“Some risks remain, but government remains fully committed to addressing them decisively,” Forson said, adding that the review offered an opportunity “to assess our progress and benefit from the IMF’s feedback.”
The meeting was attended by Bank of Ghana Governor Johnson Asiama, his Deputy Zakari Mumuni, Deputy Finance Minister Thomas Nyarko Ampem, and senior officials from both the Finance Ministry and the Central Bank.
Atoyan said the mission looked forward to “constructive engagement” with the authorities in the days ahead. The outcome of the review will be closely watched by investors, given its implications for the timing of the next tranche of IMF disbursements and the broader debt restructuring process.
