Mid-Year Budget Review: It has been excellent six months — Joe Jackson

Chief Executive Officer of Dalex Finance, Joe Jackson, has described the government's economic performance over the past six months as excellent.

His comment comes ahead of the presentation of the 2026 Mid-Year Budget Review presented to Parliament by the Minister for Finance Dr Cassiel Ato Forson on Thursday, July 23.

He said the government's fiscal management had helped restore confidence in the economy, although some flagship initiatives, including the 24-hour economy, are yet to achieve the level of implementation many Ghanaians had anticipated.

Speaking on Accra-based TV3 ahead of the presentation, the economic expert said the economy was performing largely in line with the targets set in the 2026 Budget.

"My assessment of the last six months actually is quite good that we've done reasonably well. Are we performing within the numbers that we set out in the budget? Yes. Have we exceeded those numbers? No... All in all, it's been an excellent six months," he said.

Mr Jackson said business confidence has been at its highest level in more than five years, attributing the improvement to fiscal discipline and prudent economic management.

He, however, acknowledged that the government's long-term economic transformation agenda, particularly the 24-hour economy policy, had not progressed as quickly as expected.

"The 24-hour economy, in my interpretation, is about long-term transformation of this economy. It has not taken off as much as we would have liked," he asserted.

He also urged Ghanaians to moderate their expectations, arguing that the government must maintain spending discipline to preserve the macroeconomic stability achieved so far.