The Vice President, Professor Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang, has emphasised the need for Ghana to shift from heavy reliance on foreign aid to sustainable domestic funding to drive national development.

She made the call during her address at the opening of the Ghana Civil Society Forum, held in Accra on June 25, where she outlined key government plans to tackle gold smuggling and improve the country’s tax system as part of broader public financial management reforms.

“Ghana and many other African countries are re-evaluating aid-dependent models. We are committed to deepening resource mobilisation, expanding the tax base, and reforming public financial management,” she said.

Professor Opoku-Agyemang noted that the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) has been tasked to significantly increase annual revenue collections beyond the current 0.6%. As part of ongoing reforms, the government plans to abolish withholding tax on certain transactions and strengthen regulatory oversight to clamp down on gold smuggling.

The Vice President also revealed that the government is considering the establishment of a National Governance Council to promote structured and sustained engagement with Civil Society Organisations (CSOs).

“We are creating formal platforms for government-CSO dialogue. This administration remains committed to building consensus around critical reforms. We have already held two major forums — the National Economic Dialogue and the National Education Dialogue — to ensure broad-based stakeholder input. The proposed National Governance Council will further institutionalise this engagement,” she added.