Overall inflation may have eased in August 2025 , with consumer prices falling by 1.3% month-on-month whilst year-on-year inflation for August 2025 declined marginally to 11.5%, down from 12.1% recorded in July 2025. But the pinch at the market stall tells a different story.
Latest data from the Ghana Statistical Service (GSS) shows that while households are gaining some respite from headline cost-of-living pressures, several essential food items including fresh coconut continue to record staggering hikes.
Fresh coconut prices soared 130.9% year-on-year, with watermelon up 115.1%, cashew 110.3%, avocado pear 108.3%, and ginger 104.4%. Palm fruits, imported apples, groundnuts, and chicken eggs also recorded inflation of between 57% and 75%.
The GSS further flagged 10 other top contributors, including smoked herrings (23.6%), vegetable oil (56.3%), yams (23.8%), cooked rice (13.5%), and electricity (38.9%), highlighting that while the national inflation rate is cooling, the daily reality for consumers remains harsh.
Despite this, the Government Statistician, Dr. Alhassan Iddrisu, urged households to leverage the fallen prices of some commodities to shop smart.
“For businesses, lower inflation is green light to invest and stay competitive. For households, prices are your chances to save more and shop smarter. For Government, lock in disinflation with fiscal discipline and stronger local supply chains,” he urged.
To lock in the disinflation trajectory, Dr. Iddrisu urged both fiscal and monetary authorities to sustain their momentum to stay the course.
“If we continue to put interventions that would continue to reduce the inflationary pressures we will get there ( single digit inflation) The Bank of Ghana with the Ministry of Finance to ensure that they implement both monetary and fiscal policies to contain inflation,” he added,
