Ghana’s recent economic rebound has yet to translate into better living conditions for a large share of the population, with the Ghana poverty rate remaining high at 56.4%, according to the World Bank.
World Bank Division Director for Ghana, Liberia and Sierra Leone, Robert R. Taliercio, said the country’s headline growth numbers mask persistent hardship and widening regional disparities.
“56.4% of Ghanaians remain in poverty, and spatial disparities are widening,” he said at the launch of the World Bank’s Tenth Ghana Economic Update in Accra.
Growth Not Reaching Enough Households
Ghana’s economy expanded by 6% in 2025 and recorded growth of 6.4% in the first quarter of 2026, figures that point to a strong recovery in economic activity.
Mr Taliercio, however, cautioned that the benefits of that growth remain uneven. “There is a disconnect between the headline growth that is yet to reach most of the population,” he said.
The concern is not simply the level of growth, but where it is coming from. According to the World Bank official, the sectors driving the expansion are not creating jobs fast enough to absorb Ghana’s growing labour force.
“Growth is led by sectors with limited employment absorption relative to its growing young population entering the labour market in the next decade.” - Mr Taliercio
Jobs Now Central to Recovery
Mr Taliercio said Ghana will need to shift attention towards productivity, employment creation and policies that spread economic opportunities across more regions.
That becomes particularly important as more young people enter the labour market over the coming years.
For the World Bank, macroeconomic stability is only part of the recovery story. The harder test is whether falling fiscal pressures and stronger growth translate into incomes, jobs and improved living standards.
Mr Taliercio said Ghana’s recovery must become more “inclusive, job intensive and resilient” if recent economic gains are to hold and reach a broader section of the population.
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