The Ghana Statistical Service (GSS) has presented its second Food Price Variability report at Accra Technical University (ATU), highlighting notable disparities in food prices across Ghana, on April 18, 2024.

The detailed the prices of various food items, revealing differences within and between the country’s 16 administrative regions over a 14-month period.

The report was jointly launched by Deputy Government Statistician Dr. Faustina Frempong-Ainguah, ATU’s Dean of International Programmes and Institutional Cooperation Prof. Ernest C. Winful, and Dean of the Faculty of Applied Sciences Prof. Alice Constance Mensah.

The GSS report underscored the importance of regularly assessing regional price variability to better inform consumer choices.

Analysis indicated that price variations were more pronounced within regions than across them. For February 2024, the Western North Region emerged as the most expensive for the 10 selected food items, topping the median price rankings and frequently placing in the top three.

Data scientist Simon Tichutab Onilimor noted that price changes for imported goods over the past year outpaced those for locally produced items.

The study included items such as bread, beans, yam, noodles, cooking oil, tomato paste, milk, beef, iodated salt, and imported rice. It was observed that commodities with standard packaging experienced less price fluctuation, suggesting that standardization could help stabilize prices and curb food inflation.

Factors contributing to price variations included transportation costs, local production expenses, supply chain disruptions, and seasonal changes.

Western North Region ranked highest with a median rank of 3.0 for six items, followed by Ahafo with a median rank of 3.5. The Upper West Region, with the lowest median rank of 13, was the least expensive. Dr. Ainguah expressed pride in hosting the report launch at ATU and reaffirmed GSS’s commitment to future collaborations with the university.