Dr Ato Forson leads Ghana delegation to IMF-World Bank Meetings in Bangkok

Finance Minister Dr Cassiel Ato Forson is leading Ghana’s delegation to the 2026 Annual Meetings of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank Group in Bangkok, Thailand, as the government prepares to outline its next phase of economic development.

The meetings, scheduled for October 12 to 18, come ahead of the presentation of the 2027 Budget, in which Dr Forson is expected to unveil the government’s New Economy blueprint.

The proposed blueprint is expected to set out the government’s economic priorities beyond the current stabilisation phase, with the 2027 Budget outlining the policies and measures intended to translate those priorities into action.

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In Bangkok, Dr Forson is expected to hold bilateral meetings with the leadership of the IMF, senior World Bank officials, fellow finance ministers and representatives of other multilateral institutions and development partners.

The engagements are expected to provide an opportunity for Ghana to discuss its economic progress, strengthen relationships with development partners and explore areas of cooperation to support its development priorities.

Ghana’s participation comes as the country continues efforts to consolidate economic stability following the economic crisis of 2022. Assessments by the Bretton Woods institutions have provided an important backdrop to the government’s efforts to move from stabilisation towards sustained growth.

Addressing Parliament during the presentation of the 2026 Mid-Year Fiscal Policy Review, Dr Forson emphasised that economic stabilisation was a means to a broader development objective.

“Stabilisation was never the destination. It was the price of entry,” he stated.

The forthcoming New Economy blueprint is expected to outline the government’s approach to the next phase of that process, while the 2027 Budget will provide further details on its policy direction and implementation.

The Bangkok meetings are also significant as the first IMF–World Bank Annual Meetings to be held outside Washington, D.C., since Dr Forson assumed office as Finance Minister in 2025.

Ghana’s engagements at the meetings will take place against the backdrop of preparations for the 2027 Budget, which is expected to provide a clearer indication of how the government intends to sustain economic recovery and pursue its longer-term development objectives.

Story by Mawuli Ahorlumegah, reporting from the IMF/World Bank Annual Meetings in Thailand, Bangkok