INFLATION RISES to TO.2% IN SEPTEMBER 2026 AS PRICES IN SERVICES SECTOR STILL HIGH

The latest figures from the Ghana Statistical Service (GSS) show that despite the increase, inflation remains significantly lower than the 9.4% recorded in September 2025. Month-on-month inflation stood at 1.1%, indicating that prices increased by that rate between August and September. The rise was largely driven by non-food items, which recorded inflation of 6.2%, compared with food inflation of 4.0%. Non-food items accounted for 63.3% of total inflation, while food contributed 36.7%. A key pressure point remains the services sector, where inflation stood at 8.3%, almost twice the 4.2% recorded for goods. Housing, water and energy recorded inflation of 10.3%, while restaurants and hotels recorded 9.2%. The data also show that inflation is increasingly being driven by domestic factors. Inflation for locally produced items stood at 6.4%, compared with just 2.4% for imported items. The GSS estimates that locally produced items accounted for 85.7% of total inflation. Regionally, Ashanti recorded the highest inflation at 9.8%, followed by Eastern at 7.8%. Greater Accra recorded 3.4%, while Western recorded the lowest rate at -0.5%. Some food items recorded sharp price increases, with fresh tomatoes rising by 153.4% year-on-year and ginger by 100.4%. In contrast, lime prices fell by 29.9% and maize by 26.4%. Overall, the GSS says inflation has fallen by 4.2 percentage points over the past year, from 9.4% to 5.2%, but the latest increase highlights continued domestic price pressures, particularly in the services sector. Credit: myjoyonline.com