Ghana, one of the world’s biggest producers of gold and cocoa, is suffering its worst economic crisis in a generation, with the price of goods rising at an average of 41% over the past year.
It has just signed a new bailout programme with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) worth $3bn (£2.4bn) over three years to help ease the problems and is expected to receive the first tranche of $600m soon, but how much difference will that make?
Why is the economy in such a mess?
Ghana, long seen as one of Africa’s best-run countries, has been struggling to recover from the combined effects of the global Covid pandemic and the war in Ukraine.
The opposition also blames the crisis on what it calls the “gross mismanagement” of the economy – an allegation the government has denied.
The rate at which the price of goods is rising, or inflation, is on a downward path, but it is still very high at 41% and many families are battling to make ends meet.
The size of Ghana’s debt is now almost as much the total annual value of its economy. The government had defaulted in the payment of its loans, and it had to restructure its debt with creditors to qualify for the IMF bailout.
The country’s foreign reserves are virtually empty, making it hard to pay for imports which are usually priced in US dollars.
It is in this context that many Ghanaians have been feverishly waiting for this IMF bailout programme.
But this is the 17th time since independence more than six decades ago that Ghana has opted for an IMF programme.
So will the IMF loan make any difference?
Despite being one of the world’s biggest producers of cocoa and the leading producer of gold in Africa, Ghana’s basic problem is that it does not earn enough through exports to pay for everything it imports.
This is known as the balance of payments deficit and is partly what the IMF loan is designed to help with. But that is not all.
The programme is also expected to significantly slow the rate of inflation and ensure a stable local currency. All of this will benefit ordinary Ghanaians through stable prices of basic commodities including imported ones.
It has been considered risky to lend money to Ghana, but with the new IMF programme it should mean that the country can borrow again to implement its policies.
Development partners, including the World Bank, have promised to help the country come out of its economic quagmire, while investors are now likely to return without fear of losing their money.
However, if past experience is anything to go by, this cash injection from the IMF will not necessarily solve the country’s long-term economic problems.
