Taxation and Development in Ghana and West Africa Artwork

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Taxation and Development in Ghana and West Africa

March 24, 2026 • Global Development Institute

0:00 | 48:35

In this episode, Dr Mohammed Ibrahim is joined by Dr Alex Moyem Kombat, Head of Research and Policy of the Ghana Revenue Authority and two GDI PGRs, Anifat Ibrahim and Mohammed Damba to discuss domestic revenue mobilisation in Ghana and in West Africa.

Taxation is crucial to development as it provides states with the necessary funding to provide citizens with public services, such as healthcare and education. Currently, Ghana’s tax-to-GDP ratio is around 13%, just short of the African average of 15%, but far from the OECD average of over 30%.

Listen to learn about what are some of Ghana’s biggest challenges in collecting taxes and how these resonate with broader development concerns in the West Africa region.

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Intro music Anna Banana by Eaters