The National Development Planning Commission (NDPC) says Ghana must make sustained investments in key sectors if the country is to turn its changing population structure into a driver of economic growth.

The commission made the call on Wednesday, August 19, 2026, at a validation meeting for a revised report on Ghana’s prospects for harnessing the demographic dividend.

The report examines the economic implications of Ghana’s changing population using the National Transfer Accounts (NTA) framework and the Demographic Dividend Model.

Speaking at the meeting, the Director of Research at the NDPC, Richard Tweneboah-Kodua, said Ghana could not assume that a growing working-age population would automatically translate into economic gains.

He said deliberate policy interventions and sustained investments would be required to equip the population and create opportunities for productive employment.

“Harnessing the dividend requires deliberate and sustained investments across relevant sectors, supported by coordinated policy action,” Mr Tweneboah-Kodua said.

He also called on participants to critically examine the report’s findings and recommendations to ensure that the final document provides a reliable basis for national planning.

“No contribution is wrong, no contribution is minor,” he said.

The revised report updates an earlier study undertaken in 2018 with support from the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).

The NDPC said the new assessment incorporates more recent data, including information from the 2021 Population and Housing Census.

Members of the consulting team, including Dr Efua Kwaambaa Turkson and Professor Eric Arthur, said Ghana’s declining birth and death rates are gradually altering the country’s age structure.

They explained that the growing share of the population in the working-age bracket could provide an opportunity for faster economic growth.

However, they said the country would only realise those gains if it improves access to quality healthcare and education, strengthens family planning services and expands employment opportunities.

The consultants also identified wider economic reforms and good governance as important factors in ensuring that demographic changes translate into sustainable development.

A modelling tool presented at the meeting provides projections of possible demographic and economic outcomes under different investment scenarios up to 2057.

The tool is expected to assist policymakers in assessing the potential impact of different levels of investment and policy choices on Ghana’s long-term development.

The Director of Development Policy at the NDPC, Alice Amekudzi, said the Commission remains committed to the report and expressed confidence that the validation process would strengthen the country’s efforts to benefit from its demographic transition.

Representatives from ministries, departments and agencies, civil society organisations, academia and development partners participated in the validation meeting.