Ghana’s trade surplus shrinks by 70% to US$1.3bn in quarter 2, 2026 – GSS
According to the GSS, exports barely increased as it went down by 1.6%, while imports jumped by 47.5%. Therefore, the smaller surplus came almost entirely from buying more.
In the second quarter of 2026, Ghana's trade surplus contracted by approximately 70%, dropping from US$4.3 billion in the first quarter to US$1.3 billion in the second quarter, according to the Ghana Statistical Services (GSS). This decline was primarily driven by a sharp increase in imports, which rose by 47.5%, compared to a 1.6% decrease in exports.
Consequently, the total exports value amounted to GH₵108.5 billion (US$9.6 billion), while imports reached GH₵94.7 billion (US$8.3 billion), resulting in a total trade volume of US$17.9 billion. The GSS attributed Ghana's headline surplus to robust gold prices, with gold exports accounting for 72.3% of all exports, reaching GH₵78.4 billion.
Crude petroleum followed as the second-largest export at GH₵11.6 billion. Import prices surged five times faster than export prices, with fuel prices increasing by 54.1% and other imports growing by 22.7%. The United Arab Emirates emerged as Ghana's largest import destination, purchasing GH₵32.7 billion worth of goods, more than double its purchases in the previous quarter.
Written by urgent.news from MyJoyOnline Ghana's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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