World Bank projects 4.8% growth for Ghana in 2026

The World Bank has revised upward Ghana’s economic growth forecast, projecting Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth of 4.8% in 2026, according to its June 2026 Global Economic Prospects report.

The new projection represents an increase of 0.2 percentage points compared to earlier estimates. However, it also highlights a slowdown from the 6.0% growth recorded in 2025, reflecting a transition from post-crisis recovery to a more stable medium-term growth trajectory.

Ghana’s projected 2026 growth rate is also expected to outperform the sub-Saharan Africa average of 4.0%.

The Bank further raised its outlook for Ghana in the medium term, forecasting growth of 4.9% in 2027—up from its earlier estimate of 4.8%—and 5.0% in 2028.

On the broader regional outlook, the World Bank projects that economic growth in sub-Saharan Africa will ease to 4.0% in 2026 before recovering to an average of 4.4% between 2027 and 2028.

It noted that the 2026 forecast has been downgraded by 0.3 percentage points since January, largely due to the expected impact of geopolitical tensions in the Middle East, which are seen as outweighing gains from structural reforms and trade agreements supporting investment and exports.

The report assumes that global geopolitical conditions will stabilise in the near term, while security conditions in parts of the region improve.

The World Bank also projected that real per capita GDP growth in sub-Saharan Africa will remain at 1.6% in 2026 before rising to an average of 2% annually between 2027 and 2028.

Despite this outlook, the Bank cautioned that the growth levels are still insufficient to significantly reduce extreme poverty in the region.

It further warned that job creation in sub-Saharan Africa is likely to lag behind the rapidly expanding labour force, which is expected to be the fastest-growing globally by 2030.

Prince Antwi

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