Business News of Sunday, 24 May 2026

Source: www.ghanaweb.com

'IMF programme was close to collapse when we took over' - President Mahama

President John Dramani Mahama has revealed that the IMF programme inherited by his government in January 2025, was already struggling and close to going off track.

He made this statement while affirming that his administration remains focused on rebuilding Ghana’s economy.

He established that despite the progress made under the country’s programme with the International Monetary Fund IMF, now is not the time for celebrations.

During a speech delivery at a citizens’ engagement at Ndewura Jakpa Senior High School in the Savannah Region on Saturday, May 23, 2026, he said, “We inherited the IMF programme from the previous government.

“At the time we took over, all the agreed performance indicators were out of track, which meant that the programme was in danger of derailment so we had to take some stringent actions to bring it back into alignment and we were able to do that.”

According to him, several agreed targets under the programme had not been met before the NDC administration assumed office, creating fears that the programme could collapse if urgent interventions were not introduced.

He further stated that subsequent IMF review teams commended the government’s efforts, with the latest mission expressing satisfaction with Ghana’s performance after concluding its assessment last week.

“The missions that came, approved the programme and the final mission just left Ghana last week and they have given us a satisfying mark and it is now going to the board to release the last tranche of $380 million to support our economy.

“But we are not going to have a kenkey party because it is still work in progress,” President Mahama added.

The President noted that government quickly introduced tough economic measures within its first few months in office to restore confidence and ensure the continuation of the IMF-supported programme.

ANAS/EB

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