Ghana’s annual consumer price inflation jumped to 10.6% in April from 7.8% in the previous month. Higher food prices drove this in areas affected by government-ordered coronavirus lockdowns, according to the statistics office report on Wednesday.
The office’s monthly report indicates that both the annual rate and the increase from one month to the next were the highest since Ghana rebased its CPI last August.
Regions affected by the lockdowns last month, including the capital Accra and second city Kumasi, had average rates of inflation 8.81% higher than other regions, it said.
Ghana, an emerging oil producer, gold and cocoa producer, has recorded over 5,000 coronavirus cases. This is the highest figure in West Africa. Due to the crisis, the government expects the economy to grow by just 1.5% this year, the slowest rate in nearly four decades.