When inau­gu­rat­ing the new Bank of Ghana Board on August 20, the President expressed
con­cern about the high lend­ing rates in the coun­try and the neg­a­tive impact on growth. He called
out the Board to address the prob­lem as a mat­ter of urgency. The Governor pledged the Board’s
com­mit­ment to take the nec­es­sary steps to address the issue.
We wish to recall that pri­or to 1983, inter­est rates — both lend­ing and deposit rates — were
con­trolled — lit­er­al­ly fixed — by the mon­e­tary and reg­u­la­to­ry author­i­ty (MRA). This kept lending
rates con­tained. In 1983, Ghana adopt­ed wide-rang­ing lib­er­al eco­nom­ic poli­cies under an
Economic Recovery Programme (ERP). Interest rates were dereg­u­lat­ed as part of the new liberal
policies. .….….….