Economics & Development

Thailand’s economy expanded in July, supported by strong goods exports, particularly AI-related electronics, solid private investment, and fiscal stimulus. Private consumption strengthened with support from the co-payment program, although tourism remained weak and the broader recovery was uneven. Headline inflation rose on elevated fuel prices and weather-related food costs, weighing on household real incomes. The Bank of Thailand (BOT) maintained an accommodative stance, prioritizing support for a still-fragile recovery. Fiscal policy remained expansionary, with further co-payment and energy transition-related measures under preparation for Q4. Financial markets remained broadly resilient though deteriorating small and medium enterprise (SME) credit quality warrants monitoring.

The Country Opinion Survey in Ghana assists the World Bank Group (WBG) in better understanding how stakeholders in Ghana perceive the WBG. It provides the WBG with systematic feedback from national government officials and institutions, parliamentarians, local governments, bilateral and multilateral agencies, media, academia and research centers, the private sector, and civil society organizations in Ghana on: 1) their overall attitudes toward the WBG in Ghana; 2) their views on development priorities and challenges in Ghana; 3) overall impressions of the WBG’s effectiveness and results, operations, instruments, knowledge work and activities, engagement and collaboration, and communication and information sharing in Ghana; and 4) their perceptions of the WBG’s future role in Ghana.