Gold continues to dominate Ghana’s export earnings
Ghana’s international trade performance saw a major boost in 2025, with total trade rising 20.1 per cent to GHC654.7 billion.
The country exported GHC401.5 billion worth of goods and imported GHC253.2 billion, resulting in a trade surplus of GHC148.3 billion. That is more than three times the surplus recorded in 2024.
Exports outpaced imports every month of the year, with December posting the highest trade activity and the biggest monthly surplus. Gold continued to dominate Ghana’s export earnings, bringing in GHC252.4 billion and accounting for nearly 63 per cent of all exports.
Cocoa and mineral fuels were the next biggest contributors, meaning three commodities made up almost 86 per cent of export revenue. Asia remained Ghana’s top trading region, led by the United Arab Emirates, India, and China, while Europe’s share declined.
Trade within Africa grew strongly, with Ghana recording a GHC34.7 billion surplus on the continent. South Africa was the biggest export market in Africa and Nigeria the largest source of imports, mainly petroleum products.
On the import side, fuel, vehicles, machinery and food products led spending, with diesel and petrol imports alone exceeding GHC51 billion. China stayed as Ghana’s largest source of imports.
The report also notes food exports rose on the back of cocoa products, cashew, tuna and shea, while food imports dipped slightly, pointing to modest gains in domestic production.
Despite the strong nominal surplus, Ghana posted a real trade deficit of GHC3.4 billion after adjusting for inflation, showing that high global gold prices played a big role in the earnings jump.
The findings underline the need to diversify exports, add value locally, cut reliance on fuel and machinery imports, and take full advantage of opportunities under the African Continental Free Trade Area to build a more resilient economy.
Source: By Eben Agyekum-Boateng, 3Business
