Country Financing Roadmap for the SDGs: Ghana

The report identifies a cumulative SDG financing gap of $431.6 billion for Ghana between 2021 and 2030. It proposes a multistakeholder approach to attract private capital through de-risking mechanisms, such as a first-loss fund and SDG bonds, with a primary focus on improving sustainable infrastructure and M/SME financing.

• Ghana faces a massive cumulative SDG financing gap estimated at $431.6 billion for the period 2021–2030, with the gap in 2021 alone estimated at $43 billion.
• The total cost to achieve the SDGs in Ghana from 2021 to 2030 is estimated at $522.3 billion, averaging $52.2 billion annually, which equates to approximately $1,505 per capita per year.
• The Government of Ghana is the dominant financier of the SDGs; in 2019, public domestic sources provided approximately 92% of total SDG funding.
• Sustainable infrastructure needs in Ghana are estimated at $7 billion annually over the next 10 years, but investment is hindered by an unstable investment climate, a lack of bankable projects, and limited government capacity for project preparation.
• The M/SME sector contributes about 70% of Ghana's GDP and represents 85% of private-sector businesses, yet it faces a financing need estimated by the IFC at $6.1 billion.
• To bridge the financing gap, the report proposes the creation of an SDG first-loss fund to improve the risk profile of priority projects and the issuance of SDG bonds to access international and commercial debt markets.
• The report suggests establishing a Project Preparation Facility (PPF) to ensure a steady pipeline of commercially attractive infrastructure projects, as current preparation is fragmented across various public entities.
• For M/SMEs, the report recommends innovative blended finance mechanisms, including a working capital and capital expenditure debt facility and an equity SDG investment vehicle, to reduce costs and relax collateral requirements.
• Ghana's debt-to-GDP ratio reached a record high of 76.1% in 2020, driven by pandemic-related revenue declines and a widening budget deficit, which limits the government's ability to fund the SDGs alone.

APA

World Economic Forum (2021). Country Financing Roadmap for the SDGs: Ghana. http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_SDIP_CFR_Ghana_Report_2021.pdf

Chicago

World Economic Forum. Country Financing Roadmap for the SDGs: Ghana. 2021. http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_SDIP_CFR_Ghana_Report_2021.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=World Economic Forum |title=Country Financing Roadmap for the SDGs: Ghana |date=June 2021 |url=http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_SDIP_CFR_Ghana_Report_2021.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{worldeconomicforum2021country, author = {{World Economic Forum}}, title = {{Country Financing Roadmap for the SDGs: Ghana}}, institution = {World Economic Forum}, year = {2021}, month = jun, url = {http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_SDIP_CFR_Ghana_Report_2021.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }