Ghana’s economy made a steady climb in the first quarter of 2025, but it was agriculture that stood tallest. Often viewed as the quiet backbone of the economy, the sector emerged as the fastest-growing in the latest GDP report, registering an impressive 6.6 percent year-on-year growth. At a time when other sectors delivered mixed results, farming and fisheries quietly carried the weight of national progress.
This growth was largely driven by strong performances in fishing, crop production, and livestock. Fishing recorded a remarkable 16.4 percent expansion, while crops, the largest component of the sector, rose by 6.7 percent. Livestock followed with a 5.6 percent increase, reaffirming agriculture’s place as a resilient and vital engine of Ghana’s economic momentum. The only decline came from forestry and logging, which slipped by 2.5 percent, but it did little to dim the sector’s overall performance.
The strong showing in agriculture came as the broader economy grew by 5.3 percent compared to the same quarter in 2024, up from 4.9 percent a year earlier. Excluding oil, non-oil GDP expanded by a robust 6.8 percent, underscoring the strength of domestically anchored sectors like agriculture and services. On a quarter-on-quarter basis, seasonally adjusted GDP grew by 1.4 percent, an improvement from 0.9 percent in the final quarter of last year.
The services sector, which remains the largest contributor to Ghana’s economy at 46.8 percent of GDP, grew by 5.9 percent. The information and communication sub-sector led the way with a 13.1 percent jump, followed by financial and insurance activities at 9.3 percent, and transport and storage with 8.6 percent. Not all service segments fared well, however—public administration and education registered contractions, reflecting continued fiscal and institutional pressures.
Industry, accounting for 29.7 percent of GDP, posted a more modest 3.4 percent growth. Manufacturing, however, stood out with a 6.6 percent increase, while mining and quarrying edged up by 1.4 percent. This sector’s performance was heavily weighed down by a sharp 22.1 percent decline in oil and gas activities. Water and sewerage services also shrank by 3.7 percent, even as electricity and construction made moderate gains.
From a demand perspective, consumption remained a key driver. Government spending rose by 8.2 percent, household final consumption increased by 4 percent, and gross capital formation edged up by 1.1 percent. But the trade picture was far less encouraging. Net exports collapsed, recording a sharp -72,323 percent year-on-year contraction, a statistic that, though technical in nature, reflects serious headwinds in the export sector. Non-profit consumption also fell by 16.5 percent, pointing to softer social spending.
Altogether, Ghana’s first quarter growth reflects a quiet resilience. Agriculture, long overshadowed by services and extractives, has reasserted itself not just as a safety net but as a growth leader.
