Inflation Rate for April Inches Up to 9.5 Percent

By Kingsley Asare

The country recorded its highest year-on-year inflation rate in April this year as non-food inflation saw an increase.

The year-one-year inflation rose to 9.5 percent in April from 9.3 percent in March, representing an increase of 0.2 per cent, and a monthly change of 1.1 percent.

The Deputy Government Statistician, David Yenukwat Kombat who disclosed this yesterday when he announced the April inflation rate said the non-food inflation rate rose to 10.4 percent in April from 9.7 percent in March 2019.

He said the increase in the non-food inflation rate was influenced by increases in the inflation rates of clothing and footwear (14.3 percent) recreation and culture (14.1 percent), transport (13.2 percent), furnishings, household equipment and routine maintenance (12.8 percent), and miscellaneous goods and services subgroup (10.0 percent), which was above the sector average of 10.4 percent.

Mr Kombat said year-on-year food inflation for April declined to 7.3 percent from 8.4 percent in March this year.

"Six subgroups of the food and non-alcoholic beverages group recorded inflation rates lower the group's average of 7.3 percent," he said.

They are fish and sea food (7.1 percent), sugar, jam, honey and chocolate (5.9 percent), food products (5.3 percent), milk, cheese and eggs (4.3 percent) and cereal products (3.9 percent).

The Deputy Government Statistician imported product year-on-year inflation rate of 11.0 percent and locally produced items recorded an inflation rate of 8.8 percent.

At the regional level, Mr Kombat said the Upper East year-on-year recorded inflation rate of 8.0 percent and Upper West 11.5 percent.

"Four regions Upper West, Brong Ahafo, Western and Ashanti recorded inflation rates as above the national average and Northern and Eastern regions recorded the same inflation rate of 9.0 percent," he said.

The Deputy Government Statistician said his outfit was putting measures in place to compute inflation figures for the newly created regions.

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