Book launch: Ghana’s prospects for economic transformation

Over the past 30 years, Ghana has experienced steady growth in per capita income and rapid urbanization, giving it a reputation as an African success story. But despite these changes, the country has not industrialized, leaving many Ghanaians still working in the low-productivity agricultural and services sectors. A new IFPRI book—Ghana’s Economic and Agricultural Transformation: Past Performance and Future Prospects—analyzes the evolution of the country’s economy and calls for leveraging agriculture to transform it.

The book’s editors—Xinshen Diao and Danielle Resnick of IFPRI, independent consultant Peter Hazell, and development strategist Shashidhara Kolavalli—discussed its major findings and their relevance for policymakers and practitioners, and for Ghana’s future, in an Oct. 9 launch event moderated by Hazell. The event was co-organized by IFPRI and the CGIAR Research Program on Policies, Institutions, and Markets (PIM).

Photo Credit: Jamed Falik/IFPRI