Ghana’s economy grew by 6.0% in real terms in the second quarter of 2026, but the latest figures show that the expansion is being driven by a relatively narrow group of activities while several sectors are struggling.
The Ghana Statistical Service (GSS) reported that first-half economic growth reached 6.2%, with services, information and communication technology (ICT), oil and gas, transport and manufacturing among the stronger performers.
However, the figures also reveal a sharp contrast within the economy. Fishing, accommodation and food services, public administration and defence, education, and real estate all recorded contractions during the quarter.
The latest Ghana GDP growth figures therefore present a mixed picture: economic activity remains strong overall, but the benefits are not being spread evenly across sectors.
ICT emerged as the standout performer. The subsector expanded by 30.9% year-on-year and accounted for 41.5% of total GDP growth in the second quarter.
Transport and storage also recorded strong growth of 14.9%, while forestry and logging expanded by 10.7%. Manufacturing grew by 6.6%, adding further support to industrial activity.
Oil and gas production recorded a major rebound, growing by 22.4% during the quarter. The recovery helped lift the broader industrial sector, which expanded by 4.3%, compared with 2.4% in the same quarter of 2025.
Services remained the largest part of the economy, accounting for 45.9% of GDP. The sector grew by 8.0% and contributed 57.6% of overall growth.
The picture was considerably weaker in some areas.
Fishing recorded the largest contraction, falling by 24.7%. The decline was significant enough to weigh on the wider agricultural sector, which grew by only 3.9%, down from 7.1% a year earlier.
Accommodation and food services contracted by 7.8%, while public administration and defence and education each declined by 4.7%. Real estate activity also fell by 2.6%.
These figures matter because a strong headline GDP number does not necessarily mean every part of the economy is expanding at the same pace. The latest data show that digital activity, transport, selected industrial activities and the rebound in oil production are providing substantial momentum, while some labour-intensive and service-related activities remain under pressure.
There was also a notable improvement in economy-wide price pressures. The GDP deflator, which measures changes in the prices of goods and services produced in the economy, fell from 18.6% in the second quarter of 2025 to 5.5% in the latest quarter.
Investment provided another major boost, rising by 53.0% during the quarter, while domestic demand increased by 11.2%. On a seasonally adjusted quarter-on-quarter basis, real GDP expanded by 1.4%.
Despite the positive headline performance, the slowdown from the previous year is worth noting. Second-quarter growth was lower than the 6.6% recorded in the same period of 2025, while first-half growth of 6.2% was also slightly below the 6.4% recorded in the first half of 2025.
For Ghana, the immediate challenge is therefore not simply maintaining growth but broadening its sources. The latest numbers suggest that the economy has considerable momentum in technology, transport, manufacturing and selected extractive activities, but weaknesses in fishing and several service subsectors remain visible.
The GSS figures are provisional and may be revised as additional data become available. For now, they point to an economy that is expanding at a solid pace, but with significant differences between the sectors carrying the growth and those losing ground.
