Ghana declared ineligible for U.S. aid under MCC for 2026 fiscal year

Ghana has been deemed ineligible to access foreign aid from the United States for the 2026 fiscal year under the Millennium Challenge Compact (MCC).

This restriction stems from the debt default clause outlined in section 7012 of the Fiscal Year 2025 State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations Act (SFOAA), which remains in effect until a debt restructuring agreement is reached.

The announcement was contained in the Millennium Challenge Corporation’s Candidate Country Report for Fiscal Year 2026.

The report noted that “Ghana is ineligible to receive foreign assistance pursuant to the debt default restriction in section 7012 of the FY [Financial Year] 2025 SFOAA pending a debt restructuring agreement.”

It further stated that "Ghana is among 18 countries that would be considered candidate countries for purposes of eligibility for MCC compact assistance for FY 2026, but are ineligible to receive United States economic assistance under part I of the Foreign Assistance Act."

This decision is tied to statutory prohibitions on economic aid that took effect as of August 6, 2025.

The report also explained that "Countries identified above as candidate countries, as well as countries that would be considered candidate countries but for the applicability of legal provisions that prohibit U.S. economic assistance, may be the subject of future statutory restrictions or determinations, or changed country circumstances, that affect their legal eligibility for assistance under part I of the Foreign Assistance Act by reason of application of the Foreign Assistance Act or any other provision of law for FY 2026."

Other nations classified as ineligible for MCC-related U.S. foreign assistance include Burma, Burkina Faso, North Korea, Syria, Sri Lanka, Venezuela, and Zimbabwe.