Ghana has been declared ineligible to receive foreign assistance from the United States under the Millennium Challenge Compact (MCC) for the 2026 financial year.
The decision stems from the debt default restriction outlined in Section 7012 of the Fiscal Year 2025 State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations Act (SFOAA), which remains in effect until Ghana concludes a debt restructuring agreement.
This development was highlighted in the Millennium Challenge Corporation’s (MCC) Candidate Country Report for Fiscal Year 2026. The report stated: “Ghana is ineligible to receive foreign assistance pursuant to the debt default restriction in section 7012 of the FY 2025 SFOAA pending a debt restructuring agreement.”
According to the report, Ghana is one of 18 nations identified as candidate countries for MCC compact assistance for FY 2026. However, it cannot access U.S. economic assistance under Part I of the Foreign Assistance Act due to legal prohibitions in place as of August 6, 2025.
The report further noted that candidate countries, including those affected by legal restrictions, may face additional statutory limitations or changes in circumstances that could influence their eligibility for U.S. assistance in the future.
Other nations currently barred from receiving MCC related U.S. foreign assistance include Burma, Burkina Faso, North Korea, Syria, Sri Lanka, Venezuela, and Zimbabwe.
