The prices of goods and services increased astronomically in 2022. This was reflected in the record-high inflation rates released by Ghana Statistical Service.

The rate as of November 2022 was above 50%. The high inflation rate was attributed mainly to high imports. Ghanaians kept gasping at the galloping rate of the price increases as it was rapid and sometimes unprecedented.

Even though the general rise in the prices of goods and services was shocking, there were items whose prices jumped to very high levels within a very short period.

In this article, here are some of the items whose price increases came as a shock and were a topic of discussion for a long time.

Rice

A bag of 5kg of rice was selling at about GH¢40 at the beginning of 2022. The price shot up to GH¢60, GH¢80 and is currently selling at almost GH¢100 at various supermarkets.

Oil

The price of the product shot up to GH¢1,000 overnight from an earlier price of GH¢550 earlier this year. Some retailers even pegged their prices at GH¢1,200. However, after several agitations and complaints, the price has been reduced to GH¢600 and GH¢650, GhanaWeb Business can confirm.

Fuel

Fuel prices have topped the chart of conversations this year as the price of the commodity kept increasing with each pricing window.

This was highly linked to the depreciation of the cedi and the increase in the price of crude oil on the international market. Fuel prices jumped from GH¢6 to almost GH¢16 before coming down to GH¢13 in December 2022.

Transport fares

As fuel prices kept increasing, the rippling effect was seen in transport fares. Transport fares increased by more than 50% in 2022 alone, a situation that has never been experienced in the country’s history.

Bread

The price of flour, sugar and other baking materials increased significantly this year. This is reflected in the cost of bread. One loaf of butter bread is currently GH¢15 from GH¢6 at the beginning of the year.

Cement

The cost of building materials also shook Ghanaians this year as cement moved from GH¢50 to above GH¢80 in a few months. This also caused an increase in rent and other real estate businesses. The increase was also associated with the depreciation of the cedi.

Pure water

Another commodity whose price increase shook Ghanaians was sachet and bottled water. Pure water as it is popularly called shot up to GH¢40p from GH¢20p by the end of December 2021.

Water and electricity

The Public Utilities and Regulatory Commission announced a 27.15% increase in the price of electricity and a 21.55% increase in water tariffs.

Sanitary Pad

The price of sanitary pads increased to GH¢22 from GH¢5 at the beginning of the year. Even though Ghanaians have been calling for a reduction in the taxes on the product, those calls are yet to be heeded.

Gari

SSD/