Ghana records $8.81 billion trade surplus
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on 3News
Ghana recorded an $8.81 billion trade surplus in the first half of 2026, according to Bank of Ghana Governor Johnson Pandit Asiama. Reserves reached $12.94 billion, equivalent to five months of imports, according to his report presented to Parliament on 6 November.
Ghana recorded an $8.81 billion trade surplus in the first half of 2026, while its current account showed a $5.1 billion surplus, Bank of Ghana Governor Johnson Pandit Asiama told the parliamentary Committee on Economy and Development on 6 November.
Ghana's foreign exchange reserves stood at $12.94 billion, equivalent to five months of import cover, according to Johnson Pandit Asiama. On growth and prices, real GDP grew by 6.4% in the first quarter of 2026, while inflation, which had fallen to 3.2% in March, rose to 5.3% in June, remaining below the Bank of Ghana's target range of 6 to 10%.
The average bank lending rate fell from 27% to 15.6%, while credit to the private sector increased by 41.2%, according to the governor. In the banking sector, total assets rose by 30.7% to 502.4 billion cedis and non-performing loans fell from 23.1% to 16.1%.
Johnson Pandit Asiama also presented the Ghana Accelerated National Reserve Accumulation Programme, a foreign exchange reserve accumulation programme aimed at achieving 15 months of import cover by 2028. The Bank of Ghana also plans a uniform reserve requirement ratio of 20% and a rules-based foreign exchange market intervention framework.
