By Francis Ntow, GNA
Accra, Sept 9, GNA – Digital economy powers Ghana’s real Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth to six per cent in the second quarter of 2026, with Information and Communication Technology sub-sectors leading the expansion.
The six per cent second quarter GDP growth in 2026, compared to the 6.6 per cent recorded in the same period in 2025, represented a 0.6 percentage slow down in economic growth, driven largely by slow growth in agriculture.
The growth in agriculture slowed to 3.9 per cent in the second quarter of 2026, compared to the 7.1 per cent in 2025, while industry also saw a marginal slow growth from 9.5 to eight percent. Industry’s growth increased from 2.4 to 4.3 per cent in the same period.
“In real terms, we produced GH₵51.3 billion worth of goods and services, up from 48.4bn a year earlier, which is 2025 quarter two,” said, Dr Alhassan Iddrisu, Government Statistician.
“Despite maintaining robust growth momentum, Ghana’s economy did experience a measurable slowdown compared to the previous year, with the six per cent Q2 2026 growth representing a decline of 0.6 percentage points from the 6.6 per cent recorded in Q2 2025,” he added.
Dr Alhassan said this during a press briefing on Ghana’s 2026 second quarter GDP estimates and June 2026 Monthly Indicator of Economic Growth (MIEG) in Accra on Wednesday.
The sectoral breakdown revealed a dominance of the Services sector, which contributed 57.6 per cent of all Q2 2026 growth despite slowing slightly from 9.5 the previous year to eight per cent in 2026.
Information and Communication Technology (ICT) emerged as Ghana’s single largest growth driver, leading the Services sector with a 30.9 per cent year-on-year growth compared to 21.3 per cent a year earlier.
Dr Iddrisu noted that ICT’s dominance reflected not a temporary increase but sustained expansion, with the sector recording double-digit growth in every quarter for the past three years.
“This performance establishes Ghana’s growth story as substantially digital, with technology sector expansion driving nearly half of all economic expansion in the second quarter,” he emphasised.
Industry, which contributed 23.5 per cent of growth, saw an increase in GDP from 2.4 per cent in Q2 of 2025 to 4.3 per cent in Q2 of 2026, marking a dramatic transformation in oil and gas dynamics.
“This is a swung from a 29 per cent contraction a year ago to remarkable 22.4 per cent growth in Q2 2026, a 51 percentage-point directional shift that contributed 12.8 per cent of total GDP growth independently,” the Government Statistician noted.
The manufacturing sub-sector expanded 6.6 per cent compared to 5.4 per cent, construction grew 4.4 per cent, representing a slowdown from the 6.5 per cent posted in Q2 2025, while water and sewage constituted industry’s sole weak spot, contracting 0.6 per cent.
In the Agriculture sector, growth moderated to 3.9 per cent in Q2 2026 from 7.1 per cent a year earlier, with forestry and logging emerging as the strongest performer, growing 10.7 per cent compared to 2.7 per cent in 2025.
The Crops sub-sector expanded by 5.2 per cent, down from eight per cent, still contributing 13.8 per cent of total growth as agriculture’s single largest subsector., while livestock’s growth held steady at 5.9 per cent growth.
On the other hand, the fishing sub-sector experienced a contraction of 24.7 per cent, representing a 25.6 percentage-point change from the previous year and cutting 4.6 per cent from overall economic growth.
“This fishing sector collapse reflects broad-based agricultural growth undermined by one significant contraction that coastal and fishing communities will experience directly through reduced livelihoods and economic opportunities,” Dr Iddrisu said.
Dr Iddrisu explained that an examination of the first-half 2026 performance, combining Q1 and Q2 data, disclosed a softer overall dynamic while confirming inflation moderation as the defining economic achievement.
“Overall GDP grew 6.2 per cent in the first half of 2026, only marginally below the 6.4 per cent recorded in the first half of 2025, while non-oil GDP decelerated to 5.9 from 8.2 per cent,” he stated.
He called for a balancing achievements and challenges, noting that the strong digital sector expansion and recovery in petroleum production drove growth, with critical vulnerabilities in fishing, hospitality, and education requiring urgent policy attention.
GNA
Edited by Agnes Boye-Doe
Reporter: Francis Ntow
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