Queen Máxima Urges Ghana to Turn Financial Access Into Household Security
Concluding a four-day Ghana visit, the UN's Special Advocate for Financial Health urged better savings, insurance, responsible lending and financial protection.
ACCRA, GHANA — Queen Máxima of the Netherlands has called on Ghana to look beyond the number of people with bank accounts and mobile-money services and focus on whether families can manage daily expenses, recover from emergencies and build long-term financial security.
The Queen spoke in her role as the United Nations Secretary-General's Special Advocate for Financial Health during a visit to Ghana from November 2 to November 5, 2026.
Meetings with Ghanaian leaders
On the final day of the visit, she met President John Dramani Mahama at Jubilee House. She also held discussions with Finance Minister Cassiel Ato Forson and Bank of Ghana Governor Johnson Pandit Asiama. Earlier engagements included a visit to Kumasi to meet the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II.
During the trip, the UN advocate met farmers, market traders, patients and small-business owners to hear about challenges that arise when financial products are available but savings, affordable borrowing or insurance remain insufficient.
Access does not guarantee resilience
According to data cited by the United Nations Development Programme, 81 per cent of Ghanaian adults had a financial account in 2024, compared with 29 per cent in 2011. Yet having an account does not necessarily mean a family can withstand a loss of income, an unexpected medical bill or a business setback.
Queen Máxima called for Ghana's next financial inclusion strategy to include measurable financial-health goals. Priority areas include emergency savings, responsible credit, practical insurance, pension options for informal workers and stronger safeguards against financial fraud.
Why it matters
Better-designed services could help workers, farmers and entrepreneurs preserve income and invest more confidently. The visit resulted in policy proposals and discussions, not an announcement of immediate universal financing or a new cash-benefit scheme.
Official reference: United Nations Development Programme, November 5, 2026. https://www.undp.org/ghana/press-releases/un-special-advocate-queen-maxima-champions-financial-health-ghana
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