Claim: Ghana’s economic growth rate is 4.1% and its the second lowest rate in West Africa.
Source: Mark Assibey Yeboah (Former MP for New Juaben South)
Verdict: False
Researched by Nusrat Essah
Former Member of Parliament for New Juaben South, Dr. Mark Assibey Yeboah claims Ghana’s current economic growth rate is 4.1% and the country has the second-lowest growth rate in West Africa.
He made the claim while speaking about Ghana’s economy on Channel One TV’s Face to Face programme on January 13, 2026. He said: “Our economic growth rate is the least in West Africa, 4.1 (%). Somebody will mention Nigeria, that is 3.9 but Nigeria has a huge base. So if you’re mentioning economic growth their denominator is big. Save Nigeria, Ghana is last but one in West Africa.” (watch from 14 mins: 04 secs to 14 mins: 27secs)
This report will verify whether;
RelatedNews
- Ghana’s current economic growth rate is 4.1%
- Ghana has the second lowest growth rate in West Africa
Fact-Check
The Ghana Statistical Service (GSS) defines the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) as “the total value of final goods and services produced in the country during a given period.” GDP growth rate, also known as the economic growth rate, is the percentage change in the Gross Domestic Product within a given period.
To verify the claim, GhanaFact reviewed the latest Gross Domestic Product (GDP) Quarterly Bulletin published by the GSS. The most recent data available, Quarter 3 of 2025, shows that Ghana’s economy grew by 5.5%, and 6.5% in Quarter 2.
“The provisional quarterly real GDP growth rate, including oil and gas (Overall GDP), is 5.5 percent (year-on-year) in Q3 2025. In the same quarter in 2024, growth was 7.0 percent,” the GSS report said. This 5.5% figure contradicts the claim that Ghana’s current economic growth rate is 4.1%. However, the growth rate for the 2025 end of year is yet to be released.
Is Ghana’s economic growth rate the second-lowest in West Africa?
To assess the regional ranking claim, GhanaFact reviewed available growth data from official statistical agencies across selected West African countries.
The review shows that while several West African countries recorded higher growth rates than Ghana, multiple countries recorded lower economic growth rates during comparable periods in 2025.
In their latest records of 2025, Nigeria recorded a growth rate of 3.9% in the third quarter, The Gambia recorded a growth rate of 2.2% in the second quarter, Liberia recorded 4.3% in quarter 2, and Burkina Faso recorded 3.1% in quarter 1.
| Country | Current economic growth rate (%) |
| Ghana | 6.5 (Q2), 5.5(Q3) |
| Nigeria | 3.9 (Q3) |
| The Gambia | 2.2 (Q2) |
| Liberia | 4.3(Q2) |
| Burkina Faso | 3.1 (Q1) |
Given that a number of countries in West Africa recorded lower growth rates than Ghana, the claim that Ghana is the second-lowest performing economy in West Africa is inaccurate.
Therefore, Ghana’s current economic growth rate is 5.5%, not 4.1%, and available data from West African countries shows that Ghana is not the second-lowest performing economy in the region.
Verdict
The claim is False.
