Mahama and Queen Máxima explore ways to improve Ghanaians’ financial wellbeing

President John Dramani Mahama met Queen Máxima of the Netherlands to discuss how financial services could better help people in Ghana manage everyday costs, prepare for unexpected setbacks and plan for the future. Máxima attended in her role as the United Nations Secretary-General’s Special Advocate for Financial Health. The talks covered possible measures for informal workers, women and smallholder farmers, including easier access to savings and pensions. They also touched on sharing data among financial providers, digital innovation, clearer ways for customers to make complaints and stronger safeguards against fraud and scams. According to the account of the meeting, Máxima said Ghana could build on its economic recovery to advance a national financial-health agenda. She suggested that the next National Financial Inclusion and Development Strategy should include clear goals and regular surveys to measure progress. She also pointed to employers’ potential role, saying financial strain can affect workers’ health, concentration and performance. Her comments drew on work in the Netherlands and a discussion with employees at a dried-fruit processing facility in Adeiso. Mahama highlighted plans to widen women’s access to finance through a proposed Women’s Development Bank, intended to provide capital and guarantees to help women grow businesses and increase their incomes. He also discussed making mortgages more affordable and expanding financial inclusion through digital services linked to national identification cards. The president further referred to efforts to improve rural access to the digital network by upgrading telephony to 4G. The discussion took place against a backdrop of increased account ownership: the article cites World Bank figures showing that 81% of adults in Ghana had a financial account in 2024, compared with 29% in 2011. It also notes that around one in three adults had bought groceries on credit or paid for them later in the previous year.