Ghana’s inflation rate recorded a slight increase in April 2026, driven largely by rising costs outside the food sector, according to the Ghana Statistical Service.

The latest data shows that headline inflation edged up to 3.4% year-on-year in April, from 3.2% in March. While the increase is modest, it reflects a shift in price pressures, with non-food items becoming the main driver of inflation.

On a monthly basis, inflation rose more sharply. Prices increased by 1.0% in April, compared to just 0.1% in March, suggesting that the pace of price increases picked up significantly within a short period.

Food prices, which have been a major concern for households in recent years, continued to stabilise. Food inflation slowed slightly to 2.2% from 2.3% in March, offering some relief as grocery costs remain relatively contained. However, this improvement was offset by rising non-food inflation, which climbed to 4.2% from 3.9%.

The difference between food and non-food inflation became more pronounced in April. Food prices rose by 0.8% month-on-month, reversing a 0.3% decline recorded in March. In contrast, non-food prices increased by 1.1% over the same period, reflecting higher costs in areas such as housing, transport, and household services.

A closer look at the data shows growing pressure from imported goods. Inflation for imported items rose to 0.7% year-on-year in April, up from 0.5% in March. On a monthly basis, imported goods recorded a sharp increase of 1.5%, after declining by 0.2% in the previous month. This suggests that external factors, including global prices and exchange rate movements, may be starting to influence domestic inflation trends.

Locally produced goods, on the other hand, showed some improvement. Their year-on-year inflation eased slightly to 4.7% from 4.9%, although prices still increased by 0.7% on a monthly basis.

The report also highlights a notable difference between goods and services. Goods inflation rose to 1.1% year-on-year, recovering from a negative rate of minus 1.0% in March. Services inflation remained significantly higher, rising to 9.6% from 7.2%. This indicates that services such as transport, healthcare, education, and hospitality continue to experience stronger price increases compared to physical goods.

Regionally, inflation trends varied widely across the country. The Savannah Region recorded the highest inflation rate at 9.5%, far above the national average. In contrast, the North East Region experienced a decline in prices, with inflation at minus 3.5%.

Overall, the data points to a changing inflation pattern in Ghana. While food prices are easing, rising costs in non-food items, services, and imported goods are beginning to take centre stage. This shift is likely to be closely monitored by policymakers as they assess the outlook for inflation and the broader economy.