Inflation Inches Up To 5.2% In September After Food Prices Jump

Ghana’s inflation rate inched up marginally in September 2026, rising to 5.2 per cent from 5.0 per cent recorded in August, latest figures from the Ghana Statistical Service (GSS) have shown.

Despite the month-on-month increase, the September rate remains significantly lower than the 9.4 per cent recorded in the same month last year — a drop of 4.2 percentage points year-on-year.

According to the GSS, the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for September stood at 271.5 against the 2021 base year of 100, with monthly inflation at 1.1 per cent.

The uptick was largely driven by food inflation, which rose to 4.0 per cent in September compared to 3.0 per cent in August. Non-food inflation, on the other hand, eased to 6.2 percent from 6.8 percent.

A breakdown shows services inflation moderated to 8.3 per cent from 8.6 per cent, but still almost doubled the 4.2 per cent recorded for goods.

Locally produced items continued to dominate the inflation basket, recording 6.4 per cent inflation and contributing 85.7 per cent of total inflation. Imported items recorded a much lower inflation of 2.4 per cent.

Regionally, inflation remained uneven, ranging from -0.5 per cent in the Western Region to 9.8 per cent in the Ashanti Region. Four regions posted rates above the national average, with Ashanti and Greater Accra alone accounting for 56.6 per cent of the national inflation.

In terms of spending divisions, housing, water, electricity and gas posted the highest inflation at 10.3 per cent, followed by insurance and financial services at 9.4 per cent and restaurants and accommodation at 9.2 per cent.

Information and communication recorded the lowest inflation at 0.3 per cent, while education services fell by 3.5 percentage points to 5.7 per cent.

Fresh tomatoes, rent, ginger, cooked rice, bus and trotro fares, yam and imported beer were identified as the major drivers of price increases in September.

Fresh tomatoes recorded the steepest year-on-year jump at 153.4 per cent, followed by ginger at 100.4 per cent and shrimps at 62.8 per cent. On the downside, lime prices dropped the most at 29.9 per cent, followed by maize at 26.4 per cent and foreign apples at 24.1 per cent.

Presenting the figures, Government Statistician Dr Alhassan Iddrisu noted that inflation remained below the lower bound of the Bank of Ghana’s medium-term target of 8±2 per cent, adding that the Statistical Service will continue to publish timely, accurate and independent data.

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