Veep Engages IMF Officials on Ghana’s Recovery, Calls for Balanced Partnership
By Praisebell Rosemond Larbi
Vice President Professor Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang has engaged senior officials of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) across Africa, using the interaction to reflect on Ghana’s economic recovery and to advocate for a more evolved and mutually beneficial partnership between African countries and international financial institutions.
The engagement, held on Tuesday, January 20, 2026, with Heads of IMF country and regional offices on the continent, provided the Vice President with the platform to outline Ghana’s improving macroeconomic conditions and to situate the country’s recovery within broader global and continental conversations on debt sustainability, development finance, and economic resilience.
Professor Opoku-Agyemang noted that Ghana’s current economic reality stands in sharp contrast to the recent past, pointing to clear improvements in key indicators such as single-digit inflation, a more stable domestic currency, and strengthening real Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth. She emphasised that these gains were not merely statistical achievements but were increasingly being felt across various sectors of the economy.
According to her, Ghana is entering a new phase marked by cautious optimism and renewed resolve, anchored in reforms that are nationally owned and driven, rather than externally imposed. She stressed that while IMF support has been important, the recovery has also been sustained by Ghana’s willingness to take difficult but necessary policy decisions in the national interest.
The Vice President acknowledged the continued relevance of international financial institutions, including the IMF, in supporting African economies, particularly during periods of crisis. However, she observed that recent global and regional developments increasingly demonstrate Africa’s growing capacity and confidence to chart its own development path.
She explained that this rising self-assurance should not be interpreted as a rejection of partnerships, but rather as a call for cooperation that is more responsive, balanced, and aligned with Africa’s long-term development priorities.
Reaffirming the position of President John Dramani Mahama, Professor Opoku-Agyemang stated that Ghana’s relationship with the IMF must evolve beyond emergency support arrangements toward deeper engagement that supports sustainable growth and structural transformation.
While acknowledging persistent challenges such as high borrowing costs and constrained fiscal space, she pointed to significant opportunities, including the transformative potential of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). She concluded by stressing Ghana’s commitment to self-reliance, supported by coordinated, fair, and development-oriented international cooperation that recognises Africa as an active partner rather than a perpetual recipient of crisis support.
