The year-on-year inflation rate for November 2017 was 11.7% compared with 11.6% recorded for October 2017, a rise of 0.1 percentage point from October 2017 to November 2017.
This was mainly due to a rise in the rates of inflation for the Housing, Water, Electricity, Gas and Other Fuels group (1.7%), Clothing and Footwear group (1.2%), Furnishings, Household Equipment and Routine Maintenance group (0.8%), Health group (0.7%), Recreation and Culture group (0.3%) and Transport group (0.1%).
The month-on-month inflation rate for November 2016 was 0.8% compared to the 0.9% recorded in November 2017. The lower month-on-month change rate in November 2016 compared to that of November 2017 caused the year-on-year inflation rate to rise from 11.6% to 11.7%, thus the increase in inflation was due to base drift effect. That is to say that the monthly inflation in November 2017 went up, and also prices went up in November 2017 than that for November 2016.
The non-food contributed to the rise in the inflation rate in November 2017. The non-food inflation rate rise by 0.1 percentage point from 11.6% recorded in October 2017 to 11.7% in November 2017.
The food group on the other hand had the following sub-groups recording higher percentage points fall in inflation rates for November 2017 compared to October 2017.
Fish and seafood fell by 7.3 percentage points from 16.1% in October 2017 to 8.8% in November 2017. Cereal and cereal products fell by 1.4 percentage points from 8.7% in October 2017 to 7.3% in November 2017.
In any month, the combinations of factors may influence the rate of inflation. For the period November 2016 to November 2017, the main price drivers for the rising inflation rate were the substantial changes in the prices of non-food commodities.
Greater Accra region recorded the highest regional combined inflation rate (12.7%). Clothing and Footwear, Recreation and Culture, Transport, Furnishings, Household Equipment and Routine Maintenance and Miscellaneous Goods and Services were responsible for the high inflation in the region.
Upper West region recorded the highest regional non-food inflation rate (15.6%) due to Transport, Clothing and Footwear and Miscellaneous Goods and Services.
Greater Accra region recorded the highest food inflation rate (8.8%) due to Vegetables, Fish and Sea food products, Fruits and Meat and meat products.
 By Samuel Boadi