Charcoal emerges as Ghana’s biggest inflation driver

Government Statistician, Alhassan Iddrisu, has disclosed that charcoal is now the single largest contributor to inflation in Ghana, with prices increasing by more than 50% over the past year and placing significant pressure on household budgets.

His comments come at a time when Ghana is recording a sharp decline in overall inflation, a development he described as a major achievement for the economy.

Speaking on JoyNews' PM Express Business Edition on Thursday June 11, 2026, Iddrisu said, despite the improvement in headline inflation, he warned that rising food prices remain a concern.

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According to him, food inflation increased to 3.3% in May 2026 from 2.2% in April 2026.

“Food inflation rose to 3.3% year on year, up from 2.2% in April,”he noted.

Iddrisu explained that food prices recorded one of their sharpest monthly increases in recent times, with the Ghana Statistical Service closely monitoring the trend.

“In fact, in just one month, that’s between April and May 2026, we saw food prices actually jumped 2% and that’s one of the fastest we have seen, you know, in a single month in terms of price movements,”he said.

He identified tomatoes as one of the major drivers of the increase, revealing that prices surged by 35.8% between May 2025 and May 2026.

He also added that the commodity recorded an even steeper rise within a month.

“In fact, in just the month of May, which is between April and May 2026 alone, the prices of tomatoes actually jumped up 38.8%, so that’s a real supply shock,”he explained.

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Iddrisu attributed the increase to disruptions in tomato supplies from Burkina Faso following attacks on Ghanaian traders and a subsequent export ban.

“As we all know, earlier this year, Ghanaian traders were attacked in Burkina Faso, and an export ban followed that disrupted tomato supply into our market, and even after the ban was reversed on April 2, the damage was already done, and prices, you know, already spiked,”he said.

According to him, charcoal accounted for about 13.1% of Ghana’s total inflation rate in May 2026, underscoring its impact on the cost of living.

“And as we know, many Ghanaian homes still cook with charcoal, and when that cost goes up, everyone feels it,” Iddrisu added.

However, he stressed that charcoal remains the most significant inflationary pressure facing households.

“Charcoal prices rose by 50.1% over the year, meaning year on year, that is between May 2025 and May 2026, and charcoal is actually the single largest contributor to our national inflation,”he stated.

ANAS/EB

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