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Topic 8

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Ghana Current Affairs and Recent Developments

Ghana, as one of Africa’s most dynamic democracies and fastest-growing economies, is regularly in the news on matters ranging from economic policy and political developments to environmental challenges and international relations. A well-prepared Ghana GAT candidate should be aware of current events and recent developments in Ghana, as these are frequently tested in the examination’s general knowledge and current affairs sections. This chapter covers the major developments and ongoing issues in Ghana from approximately 2020 to 2025.

Economic Developments: The Debt Crisis and IMF Programme

Ghana’s most significant recent economic event was the debt crisis of 2022–2023, which saw Ghana’s public debt reach unsustainable levels exceeding 100% of GDP. The crisis was triggered by a combination of factors including the global economic fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic, rising global interest rates (which increased debt servicing costs), falling Ghanaian cedi, and pre-election spending pressures.

Key developments:

  • In 2022, Ghana entered into a US$3 billion IMF Extended Credit Facility (ECF) programme, which required the government to implement reforms including fiscal consolidation (reducing government spending and increasing revenue), debt restructuring, and monetary policy tightening by the Bank of Ghana.
  • Ghana embarked on debt restructuring negotiations with both bilateral creditors (including China, which emerged as Ghana’s largest bilateral creditor) and private bondholders. The restructuring included Ghana’s Eurobonds (which were trading at deep discounts) and various commercial loans.
  • In January 2024, Ghana reached a Debt Restructuring Agreement with Official Creditors under the Common Framework (the G20-backed debt treatment process), and in February 2024, Ghana completed a private creditor debt exchange as part of the restructuring process.
  • The Ghana Cedi depreciated significantly in 2022–2023, reaching historical lows of approximately GH₵12–13 per US$1, before stabilizing and partially recovering in 2024 due to the IMF programme, higher gold and cocoa export revenues, and monetary tightening by the Bank of Ghana.
  • The Akufo-Addo government’s economic management has been a major political issue, with the NDC opposition criticizing the pre-2022 fiscal management that contributed to the crisis.

The 2024 Elections: Ghana Goes to the Polls

Ghana held its 2024 presidential and parliamentary elections on 7 December 2024 (the final year of Akufo-Addo’s two-term limit). Key features:

  • The main candidates were John Dramani Mahama (NDC — former President, running for a second non-consecutive term) and Mahamudu Bawumia (NPP — Vice President, Akufo-Addo’s running mate in 2016 and 2020, now the NPP’s presidential candidate).
  • Other candidates included Kofi Akoto-Bamfo (NPP breakaway — New Force), Nana Kwame (Convention People’s Party), and others.
  • The elections were generally peaceful and well-organized by the Electoral Commission, following Ghana’s tradition of peaceful democratic transitions.
  • Results were being tallied at time of writing — the NDC’s Mahama was leading in early vote counts, with some projections suggesting a narrow NDC win, though the outcome was still being determined at the time of this chapter’s preparation.

Free SHS Policy and Education Reforms

The Free Senior High School (Free SHS) Policy, launched in September 2017 by the Akufo-Addo government, is one of Ghana’s most significant social policy interventions. Under this policy, the government absorbs the cost of tuition, examination fees, and library fees for all SHS students in public schools. The policy also includes the Free SHS for All initiative introduced in the 2022/2023 academic year.

The Free SHS policy has had significant impact:

  • Enrollment increased dramatically — from approximately 800,000 SHS students in 2016 to over 1.4 million by 2022
  • Completion rates improved — previously, many students dropped out after JHS due to financial constraints
  • Infrastructure expanded — the government built new SHS classrooms, laboratories, and dormitories nationwide
  • Critics point to challenges: Infrastructure overcrowding, quality concerns (teacher-student ratios worsening), and the program’s significant fiscal cost (estimated at over GH₵2 billion annually)

Other education initiatives include the NaCCA (National Teaching Council) reforms, the STEM and TVET (Technical and Vocational Education and Training) focus, and the Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences expansion.

Infrastructure: Roads, Railways, and the Pokuase Interchange

Infrastructure development has been a major focus of the Akufo-Addo government, particularly:

  • Pokuase Interchange: Ghana’s first five-tier interchange (also described as a four-tier with an extra layer), completed in 2021 at Pokuase in the Greater Accra Region. It was constructed with funding from the UK Export Finance (UKEF) and the African Development Bank (AfDB) and has significantly reduced traffic congestion on the Accra-Kumasi highway.
  • Kumasi Accra Highway: Major upgrades to the N1 highway, including the Tema Motorway expansion, and improvements to the Accra-Kumasi road corridor.
  • Boankra Inland Port: An inland container depot at Boankra near Kumasi, intended to reduce the dependence on the Port of Tema for landlocked countries like Burkina Faso and Niger.
  • Development of marine transport: Rehabilitation and modernization of ports at Tema and Takoradi.
  • Railway projects: Ghana’s railway network, largely in disrepair since the 1980s, has been a focus of rehabilitation — the Accra-Tema suburban railway, the Kumasi-Koforidua line, and plans for the Trans-West African Railway linking Ghana to Burkina Faso, Niger, and beyond.

Planting for Food and Jobs and Agricultural Policy

The Planting for Food and Jobs (PFJ) programme, launched in 2017, is the Akufo-Addo government’s flagship agricultural programme. It aims to:

  • Increase crop productivity through subsidised fertilizers, improved seeds, and extension services
  • Create jobs in the agricultural sector, particularly for youth
  • Ensure food security by increasing domestic production of staple crops
  • Reduce Ghana’s food import bill for crops that can be produced domestically

The programme has had mixed results — there have been reports of fertilizer smuggling to neighboring countries (particularly Burkina Faso and Togo), late delivery of inputs, and questions about sustainability without continued government subsidy. Nonetheless, production of maize, rice, and soybeans has reportedly increased in PFJ participating farms.

The One District, One Factory (1D1F) initiative (launched in 2017) aims to establish at least one factory in each of Ghana’s 260 districts, with the government providing stimulus funding, tax holidays, and other incentives. Implementation has been uneven, with some districts reporting completed factories and others at various stages.

Environmental Issues: Galamsey and Deforestation

Illegal small-scale mining (galamsey) — particularly in the Ashanti, Western, Central, and Eastern Regions — has become one of Ghana’s most pressing environmental and political challenges. Galamsey operations have:

  • Polluted major rivers including the Pra, Ankobra, and Bia with cyanide and mercury used in gold extraction
  • Destroyed agricultural land and forest reserves
  • Contaminated water sources used by communities for drinking and irrigation
  • Undermined the formal mining sector and deterred foreign investment

Successive governments have struggled to combat galamsey. In 2023, the Akufo-Addo government launched Operation Vanguard (later renamed the Ghana Armed Forces anti-galamsey task force), which has arrested hundreds of people and destroyed equipment, but galamsey continues at scale. The issue has become a major political football between the NPP and NDC, with each side accusing the other of benefiting politically from the trade.

Deforestation: Ghana’s forest cover has declined from approximately 8.2 million hectares in the early 20th century to under 1.6 million hectares today. Key drivers include logging (both legal and illegal), agricultural expansion, and galamsey. The Atewa Range forest reserve (in the Eastern Region — a biodiversity hotspot and the source of drinking water for millions in Accra) has been particularly threatened by illegal mining and logging.

Oil and Gas Developments

  • The Jubilee Oil Field has been producing since 2010 and is approaching the end of its economically viable production life, requiring enhanced oil recovery (EOR) techniques to maintain output.
  • The Sankofa Field (operated by Eni) has been a significant contributor to Ghana’s oil production.
  • Springfield Energy’s Afina-1X discovery (2019) — the largest oil discovery in Ghana’s history — is in the process of being developed.
  • Ghana’s gas sector continues to expand, with the Atuabo Gas Processing Plant processing gas for domestic use and export via the West African Gas Pipeline.
  • Ghana’s upstream petroleum regulatory framework (administered by the Petroleum Commission) has been strengthened to ensure greater local content and participation of Ghanaian companies and workers in the oil and gas sector.

Sports: Ghana Football

Football (soccer) is Ghana’s most popular sport, and the Black Stars (Ghana’s national team) are one of Africa’s most successful teams, having won the Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) four times (1963, 1965, 1978, 1982). Ghana was the first African team to reach the FIFA World Cup quarter-finals (in 2010 in South Africa, where they beat the USA in the round of 16 before losing to Uruguay in a controversial quarter-final).

Recent issues in Ghanaian football include:

  • The GFA (Ghana Football Association) corruption scandal of 2015, which led to the resignation and criminal prosecution of GFA President Kwesi Nyantakyi and others on charges including bribery, fraud, and match-fixing
  • The 2022 FIFA World Cup — Ghana failed to qualify for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, losing to Nigeria in the final round of qualifying
  • The 2023 Africa Cup of Nations — Ghana finished bottom of its group in the tournament held in Ivory Coast in early 2024
  • The 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification — Ghana was competing to qualify for the expanded 2026 World Cup (to be co-hosted by the USA, Mexico, and Canada)

⚡ Exam tip: The Ghana debt crisis of 2022, the IMF programme, and the December 2024 elections were among the most significant recent events. Also know the Free SHS policy (2017), the Pokuase Interchange (first five-tier interchange in Ghana), galamsey as a major environmental challenge, and the 2015 GFA corruption scandal.

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