The Minister for Finance, Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson, says Ghana now spends less than 20 percent of its revenue on debt servicing, down from about 50 percent in the past.
He said the previous debt-service burden left the country with fewer resources for schools, hospitals, roads, and other critical infrastructure.
“At its peak, we were spending about 50 percent of our revenue on debt servicing. This meant less money for schools, hospitals, roads, and other infrastructure. That was unsustainable,” Dr. Forson said.
“Today, I am proud to say that we have made considerable progress. We are now spending less than 20 percent of our revenue on servicing debt.”
He explained that the reduction has created more fiscal space for the government to invest in public infrastructure and social services that directly improve the lives of Ghanaians.
Dr. Forson said the government was also putting measures in place to prevent Ghana from returning to an unsustainable debt situation.
“We are ensuring the fiscal rules we have instituted are enshrined in law, so that no matter which government is in office, these rules will be respected,” he stated.
The Finance Minister made the remarks at the signing of an agreement between the governments of Ghana and Belgium to restructure debt owed to Belgium’s export credit agency.
