By: Nana
Appiah Acquaye
United Nations
Secretary-General's Special Advocate for Financial Health (UNSGSA) Queen Máxima
has called on Ghana to make financial health a priority in its next financial
inclusion strategy, urging the country to establish clear goals and conduct
regular surveys to assess how well people manage their finances.
Queen Máxima made the call
during a national event hosted by Ghana's Ministry of Finance in Accra as part
of her official engagements in the country.
She emphasised the need for
financial services to help individuals and families meet everyday expenses,
manage unexpected bills, save for the future and recover from financial
setbacks.
Her call comes as Ghana
continues to make progress in expanding access to financial services. According
to figures cited by the UNSGSA, more than eight in 10 adults in Ghana had a
financial account in 2024.
However, about one in three
adults reported buying groceries on credit or paying later during the previous
year, highlighting the financial pressures facing households despite
improvements in access to financial services.
The issue was also central
to Queen Máxima's meeting with President John Dramani Mahama at Jubilee House
in Accra. She also held discussions with Finance Minister Cassiel Ato Forson
and Bank of Ghana Governor Johnson Pandit Asiama.
Queen Máxima stressed that
financial inclusion should go beyond providing access to financial accounts and
services to ensuring that people can use them to improve their financial
well-being.
The UNSGSA defines financial
health as the ability to cover today's expenses, handle an unexpected bill and
still save for the future.
She called for Ghana's next
financial inclusion strategy to incorporate measurable financial health
objectives and regular surveys to determine whether people are becoming better
equipped to manage their money, recover from financial difficulties and plan
ahead.
