Ghana’s economic growth accelerated to an annual 9.5 percent in the fourth quarter, bolstered by manufacturing and transportation, the Ghana Statistical Service said.

Growth picked up from 8.7 percent in the previous three months, and brought expansion for the year to 7.7 percent, Grace Bediako, the head of the service, told reporters in the capital, Accra, today. On a seasonally adjusted basis, expansion was 9.6 percent in the fourth quarter.

Manufacturing growth accelerated 18 percent in period, while transportation and storage climbed 11 percent, according to a document handed to reporters.

The statistical service released the quarterly figure for the first time as part of a new series of economic data issues.