President John Dramani Mahama has held high-level bilateral discussions with the Managing Director of the International Finance Corporation (IFC), Makhtar Diop, as Ghana seeks to deepen its partnership with the global development finance institution to accelerate economic transformation.

The meeting focused on strengthening collaboration in key sectors, including commercial agriculture, industrialisation, infrastructure, energy, digital connectivity and education.

A major area of discussion was the expansion of commercial agriculture, particularly in cocoa, oil palm and poultry, as part of efforts to increase production, create jobs and strengthen Ghana’s agricultural value chain.

President Mahama reaffirmed government’s commitment to industrialisation and local value addition, stressing the policy to process at least 50 percent of Ghana’s cocoa, farm produce and mineral resources locally.

He said the policy was intended to create sustainable employment opportunities, particularly for young people, while ensuring that more value is retained within the Ghanaian economy.

The President and the IFC Managing Director also explored investment opportunities under the government’s Big Push programme, which seeks to accelerate infrastructure development across the country.

Key areas identified include railway, aviation and road infrastructure, alongside investments in energy, digital connectivity and education.

On education, President Mahama disclosed that Ghana, through its collaboration with the World Bank, has secured a US$300 million financing package aimed at permanently ending the double-track system in Senior High Schools by the end of 2027.

The President said the financing would support efforts to expand educational infrastructure and improve access to quality secondary education.

President Mahama also said government’s economic management was beginning to produce positive results following what he described as the severe economic crisis inherited by his administration.

He cited a decline in inflation, reduced national indebtedness and renewed investor confidence as signs of improving economic conditions.

The engagement with the IFC forms part of government’s efforts to deepen partnerships with international financial institutions and mobilise investment for Ghana’s development priorities.