Founding President of the UP Tradition Institute, Razak Kojo Opoku, has argued that the ongoing debate on food inflation in Ghana favors the New Patriotic Party (NPP) more than the National Democratic Congress (NDC), despite claims of slowing inflation under the current administration.
According to him, while official data from the Ghana Statistical Service (GSS) shows a reduction in food inflation from 19.1% in August 2024 to 14.8% in August 2025, the cost of living has continued to rise sharply, leaving many households worse off.
Citing GSS figures, Mr. Opoku explained that the Consumer Price Index (CPI) increased from 229.4 in August 2024 to 255.7 in August 2025, meaning that “households are spending GHS 26.30 more on the same basket of goods and services than they did last year.”
He emphasized that a drop in inflation does not translate into lower prices.
“A falling inflation rate only means that prices are rising at a slower pace, not that they are coming down. Kenkey that rose from GHS 2 to GHS 5 under 19.1% food inflation has not reverted to GHS 2 because food inflation dropped to 14.8%,” he explained.
Mr. Opoku further highlighted that key food commodities continue to record significant price hikes.
“Gari has moved from GHS 12 in 2020 to GHS 25 in 2025, while a bag of maize has jumped from GHS 150 to GHS 400 within the same period,” he added.
He attributed the “illusion of lower food inflation” to base effects and the stabilization of the cedi under the IMF programme, which has made imported goods like rice and wheat relatively cheaper compared to local produce.
In his assessment, the NPP’s economic record compares more favorably, as the CPI under NPP in August 2024 (229.4) reflected lower cost of living and higher purchasing power than the CPI under NDC in August 2025 (255.7).
“A lower CPI means increasing purchasing power and a lower cost of living, while a higher CPI means the opposite. The facts show that prices were more stable under NPP, even when inflation was higher,” he asserted.
Mr. Opoku concluded that true economic relief would only come when prices stabilize or fall, incomes rise to meet living costs, and social protection programmes are strengthened.
“Until then, celebrating lower inflation is premature at best, and misleading at worst,” he stated.
