Ghana has opened work on a 2027–2031 financial inclusion strategy, focused on whether accounts leave households better off.

Published 7 Nov 2026, 06:48 GMT

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Deputy Finance Minister Thomas Nyarko Ampem says more than eight in 10 adults have an account, but only 22 per cent were financially healthy in a 2021 survey.

He gave the figures on Thursday, November 5, as the Ministry opened work on a National Financial Inclusion and Development Strategy for 2027 to 2031.

“We have become good at opening accounts. We must now become better at making accounts improve lives,” he said.

Two surveys, two dates

The account figure is from the World Bank’s Global Findex 2025. The report says ownership in Ghana reached 81 per cent in 2024.

A Presidency statement on the Queen’s visit said that was up from 29 per cent in 2011.

The 22 per cent is not from Findex. It comes from the 2021 FinScope survey, and it is the share of Ghanaian adults classed as financially healthy that year.

The Ministry of Finance says the gap is why access alone is no longer the test. It wants services that help people meet daily needs, absorb a shock and save.

What the 2027–2031 strategy will do

A National Technical Committee, drawn from the Ministry, financial regulators and other institutions, will draft the document. The Ministry expects to launch it in the first half of 2027, after the 2027 Budget on November 12.

The strategy is to widen affordable services, back digital products, strengthen consumer protection and improve financial literacy. Women, young people, farmers, informal workers and small firms are the groups named for particular attention.

Government also plans a Financial Inclusion Council, to coordinate the institutions that have to deliver the strategy.

A separate financial health framework would track whether households can pay everyday bills, withstand a shock, and save or invest.

Ampem pointed to growth of 6.2 per cent in the first half of 2026. He said inflation had fallen from 23.8 per cent in December 2024 to 5.5 per cent in October 2026.

“Our ambition is for an economy that creates opportunity, a financial system that enables participation, and a society in which more people can build secure and prosperous lives,” he said.

The President’s meeting with the Queen

The Presidency said Mahama and Queen Máxima discussed products for informal workers, women and smallholder farmers. The list included easier ways to resolve complaints, stronger protection against scams, and pensions for people in informal work.

He spoke of plans to establish a Women’s Development Bank, to provide capital and guarantees so women can expand businesses. The bank was discussed. It was not launched.

Queen Máxima said the purpose of financial services is to improve people’s livelihoods. She added that price stability should give banks the confidence to lend into the real economy.

At the Ministry she called for financial-health figures split by gender, age, and rural and urban residence, so that policy can be aimed at the gaps.

Araba IncoomAraba Incoom writes on multiple topics with a vast knowledge across different sector. You can almost call me an AI, after all, my initials are Araba Incoom.

Eight in 10 Ghanaian adults have an account, but only 22% are financially healthy

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