You’ll find both relief and frustration in Accra’s bustling markets this August.
At Madina and Nima, staples tell diverging tales shaped by the Ghana cedi’s strength and seasonal harvests. While some prices have eased, others climb stubbornly.
At Madina Market, tomato trader Mavis Baffour gestured to her abundant stock. “Tomatoes are in season now,” she explained. “Just two months back, a mini bucket sold for GH¢150. Today, it’s GH¢80. Better for customers, better for us.” The seasonal glut offers welcome respite.
Yet cross the market to Ibrahim Fuseini’s onion stall in Nima, and the mood shifts. “We’re passing the onion season,” he said, shaking his head. “A bucket that cost GH¢60 in June now sells for GH¢120. People complain daily, but reduced supply means higher prices. Simple.” Customers weigh onions carefully, counting cedis.
Livestock sellers report unusual stability. Abdul Karim Mahama, managing a Nima cold store, noted chicken has held at GH¢45 to GH¢50 per pound for months. “Feed costs hurt, but steady demand keeps prices here,” he observed. Nearby, yam and maize trader Deborah Nyarko welcomed the predictability. “When the cedi weakened, everything spiked. Now it holds between GH¢10 and GH¢11 to the dollar? We can plan. Fuel stability helps too.”
This aligns with broader trends. Ghana’s headline inflation fell to 13.7% in June 2025 – its sixth straight monthly drop. Analysts credit cedi appreciation, tighter monetary policy, and fiscal discipline. Still, economists warn the calm is fragile. Food inflation dances to seasonal rhythms, as Madina’s cheap tomatoes and costly onions prove.
Households feel the unevenness. Savings on tomatoes vanish when buying onions. While poultry stays steady, gari and rice hover well above pre-2023 levels. Yet after years of relentless hikes, this relative stability brings quiet gratitude. As one Madina trader put it: “Things aren’t cheap, but at least they’ve stopped rising every week. That alone gives us peace.”
0 Comments