Ghana Begins Structured Exit from IMF Programme, Says President Mahama Ghana has formally begun preparations to exit its International Monetary Fund (IMF) support programme, signalling renewed confidence in the country’s economic recovery and macroeconomic stability.
The government says the move follows a year of sustained reforms aimed at restoring public trust, stabilising inflation, and rebuilding fiscal buffers after a prolonged period of economic strain. Speaking in his New Year message, President John Dramani Mahama confirmed that the administration is laying the groundwork for a gradual and orderly withdrawal from the IMF arrangement, which Ghana entered in 2023 amid rising inflation, a weakening cedi, and mounting debt pressures.
He stressed that the exit would be conducted responsibly to safeguard economic credibility and investor confidence. According to government officials, IMF support was initially sought to cushion the economy from global shocks, secure balance-of-payments assistance, and unlock additional concessional financing through a catalytic effect.
While the programme helped restore a measure of stability, it also reignited domestic debate over economic sovereignty and the long-term impact of external conditionalities. President Mahama noted that inflation has eased significantly from peaks above 23 percent by the end of 2024, the cedi has experienced relative stability, and business confidence is improving.
He added that Ghana has completed key debt renegotiations on terms that protect national sovereignty while ensuring sustainability, laying the foundation for what he described as a “dignified exit” from IMF support—
“not as supplicants, but as partners.”
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