President John Dramani Mahama hosted Her Majesty Queen Máxima of the Kingdom of the Netherlands at the Jubilee House in Accra on Thursday, 5th November 2026, to deliberate on expanding financial inclusion and digital health across Ghana.
Queen Máxima visited the seat of government in her capacity as the United Nations Secretary-General’s Special Advocate for Financial Health. The meeting, attended by Minister for Foreign Affairs Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa and Deputy Minister James Gyakye Quayson, focused on improving access to credit, insurance, and affordable financial services for women, youth, farmers, and small enterprises.
Recalling her previous visit to Ghana twenty-five years ago as a Princess, the Dutch Queen shared insights from her return to the Manhyia Palace in Kumasi, as well as recent interactions with women traders at Makola Market. She noted the impressive resilience of female agricultural workers operating heavy farm machinery, underscoring the urgent need to back their livelihoods with targeted financing and risk protection.
President Mahama welcomed her observations and outlined ongoing state initiatives to broaden economic participation. He stated that the government is upgrading rural telecommunications infrastructure from 2G to 4G and introducing a national identification-linked digital wallet to streamline secure electronic transactions.
Addressing traditional savings mechanisms, President Mahama highlighted the historic role of the informal ‘susu’ system. He observed that while mobile money had modernised micro-finance, recent transaction taxes prompted some citizens to return to cash. The President advocated for digitising traditional savings structures in ways that lower user costs while preserving the vital social cohesion inherent in communal micro-savings.
Queen Máxima commended President Mahama’s leadership, affirming that Ghana remains well-positioned to drive financial health through robust public-private partnerships. Both leaders concluded the bilateral engagement by pledging renewed cooperation to leverage international expertise and digital innovation for inclusive economic growth.
By: Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghana
