Leaders | The debt-relief duet

China and the West take a step to ease Africa’s debt crisis

A deal for Ghana is the first test case for a new approach

A man holds a 100 cedis, the Ghana currency, note in Accra, Ghana, on December 1, 2022. - Ghana is battling its worst economic crisis in decades.The government on December 14, 2022 signed a $3 billion bailout deal with the International Monetary Fund in a bid to shore up its public finances, but economic stability is still a way off.Once applauded as a haven of economic stability and security in a region plagued by coups and jihadist wars, Ghana has steadily lost investor confidence as its economy slipped into crisis. (Photo by Nipah Dennis / AFP) (Photo by NIPAH DENNIS/AFP via Getty Images)
Image: Getty Images

GHANA MADE history when it led the wave of sub-Saharan African countries that won independence more than six decades ago. It may now be making history again, as the first test case for a new approach to debt relief. China and Western governments may have overcome one barrier to restructuring the billions of dollars owed by countries with unsustainable debts.

This article appeared in the Leaders section of the print edition under the headline “The debt-relief duet”

How should America lead? The Biden doctrine and its flaws

From the May 20th 2023 edition

Discover stories from this section and more in the list of contents

Explore the edition

More from Leaders

Keir Starmer surrounded by the Eu stars

Sir Keir Starmer should aim higher in his reset with the EU

And he needs to be clearer about what Britain wants

illustration of a world map outlined by a single red electrical cord, with a plug at one end and a socket at the other

To make electricity cheaper and greener, connect the world’s grids

Less than 3% of the world’s power is internationally traded—a huge wasted opportunity


Chinese AI is catching up, posing a dilemma for Donald Trump

The success of cheap Chinese models threatens America’s technological lead


America has an imperial presidency

And in Donald Trump, an imperialist president for the first time in over a century

Tariffs will harm America, not induce a manufacturing rebirth

Donald Trump’s pursuit of tariffs will make the world poorer—and America, too 

How to improve clinical trials

Involving more participants can lead to new medical insights