{
  "id": 19743179,
  "title": "Ghana’s economy would have crashed in 2026 without tough decisions – Ato Forson",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/13/ghanas-economy-would-have-crashed-in-2026-without-tough-decisions-ato",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-11-13T00:05:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "MyJoyOnline Ghana",
    "slug": "myjoyonline-ghana",
    "url": "https://www.myjoyonline.com/ghanas-economy-would-have-crashed-in-2026-without-tough-decisions-ato-forson/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Finance Minister Dr Cassiel Ato Forson stated that Ghana's economy would have crashed in 2026 without the tough decisions taken to control spending and improve public finances. During an interview after presenting the 2027 Budget to Parliament, he defended the fiscal measures implemented since taking office in 2025. Dr Forson explained that Ghana inherited persistent inflation and an economic crisis when he assumed office. He said that continuing with the status quo would have led to economic collapse by 2026. Instead, the government took action by tightening fiscal policy and addressing disorder in public financial management. This resulted in currency stabilization and primary surpluses of 2.5% of GDP in 2025 and 1.5% in 2026. The next goal is to reduce the primary surplus to support the government's economic program, aiming for 0.5% of GDP. Dr Forson emphasized that restoring stability was just one part of the task. The government now needs to restructure the economy to create sustainable employment opportunities, as Ghana's population is growing rapidly at 35 million and counting. He criticized temporary employment programs as inadequate substitutes for the structural changes required to generate decent jobs. Dr Forson outlined the New Economy policy as a four-year plan to modernize production and expand the economy's capacity to absorb workers, moving beyond macroeconomic stabilization while maintaining the discipline that secured it.",
  "summary": "Finance Minister Dr Cassiel Ato Forson says Ghana’s economy would have crashed in 2026 if the government had not taken tough decisions to restrain spending and restore discipline in public finances.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Starr FM",
        "title": "Ghana has restored economic stability, rebuilt confidence in less than two years – Ato Forson",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/12/ghana-has-restored-economic-stability-rebuilt-confidence-in-less-than",
        "published": "2026-11-12T20:34:37.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}