Delali Tsegah – Page 4 – Institute for Fiscal Studies Ghana

November 24, 2015

Press Statement on the 2016 Budget

Press Statement on the 2016 Budget The Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) held a press briefing on Tuesday, November 24, 2015 to review the 2016 Budget of the Government of Ghana. Prof. Newman Kwadwo Kusi, Executive Director of the Institute, read and issued this statement at the event. Click here to view the full statement

November 24, 2015

Press Statement on the 2016 Budget

On November 5, 2015, the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) and Natural Resource Governance Institute (NRGI) organized a Budget Forum to discuss the economic challenges and risks confronting the country and the issues that needed to be addressed in the 2016 Budget. The Forum identified that, in the last three years, the government has not succeeded in improving the fortunes of the country despite setting ambitious targets every year. And despite the 2015 Budget Statement having a transformational agenda as its main theme, there is no evidence that the economy is being transformed. Real GDP growth has decelerated and, indeed, the projected real GDP growth of […]

November 30, 2015

Public Debt and Sustainability: Whither Ghana?

Ghana’s public debt stock has risen substantially since it enjoyed HIPC/MDRI debt relief in 2005-2006. The highly expansionary scal position in 2006-2008, nanced by external borrowing, triggered a very rapid deterioration in the country’s debt sustainability. This trend was amplied by the resulting balance of payments pressures and currency depreciation, which led to a revaluation of foreign currency-denominated claims relative to domestic GDP. The debt surge was effectively stemmed when the country’s access to market nancing was closed off due to the global nancial crisis in 2008-2009. Huge increases in the issuance of domestic currency debt, alongside increased borrowing from […]

November 30, 2015

Public Debt and Sustainability: Whither Ghana?

Fiscal Alert 3: Public Debt and Sustainability: Whither Ghana? Ghana’s public debt stock has risen substantially since it enjoyed HIPC/MDRI debt relief in 2005-2006. The highly expansionary scal position in 2006-2008, nanced by external borrowing, triggered a very rapid deterioration in the country’s debt sustainability. This trend was amplied by the resulting balance of payments pressures and currency depreciation, which led to a revaluation of foreign currency-denominated claims relative to domestic GDP. Click here to read the full report

December 14, 2015

Ghana: Implications of the Rising Interest Costs to Government

Fiscal Alert 4 : Ghana: Implications of the Rising Interest Costs to Government One important feature of fiscal management in Ghana in the last few years has been the rapid rise in government borrowing, not just a rise in real debt but also a rise in debt/GDP ratio, pushing the country into a debt trap. With the country posting double-digit fiscal deficits in three consecutive years since 2012 and financed through increased indebtedness, the government is now confronted with a huge and increasing interest payment burden. This paper looks at the trends in interest costs to the government, causes, and what needs to be done to ensure efficient […]

December 14, 2015

Ghana: Implications of the Rising Interest Costs to Government

One important feature of fiscal management in Ghana in the last few years has been the rapid rise in government borrowing, not just a rise in real debt but also a rise in debt/GDP ratio, pushing the country into a debt trap. With the country posting double-digit fiscal deficits in three consecutive years since 2012 and financed through increased indebtedness, the government is now confronted with a huge and increasing interest payment burden. This paper looks at the trends in interest costs to the government, causes, and what needs to be done to ensure an efficient management of the country’s debt. Click here to read full report