IThe year-on-year inflation rate as measured by the Consumer Price Index (CPI) was 9.5 percent in April 2019, up by 0.2 percentage point from the 9.3 percent recorded in March 2019.
This rate is the percentage change in the CPI over the 12-month period from April 2018 to April 2019.
The monthly change rate for April 2019 was 1.1 percent compared to 1.2 percent recorded for March 2019.
The report, released by David Yenukwa Kombat, Deputy Government Statistician, said that the food and non-alcoholic beverages group recorded a year-on-year inflation rate of 7.3 percent.
This is 1.1 percentage point lower than the rate recorded in March 2019.
Five subgroups of the food and non-alcoholic beverages group recorded inflation rates higher than the group’s average rate of 7.3 percent.
The food group recorded a lower inflation rate (7.3 percent) in April 2019 compared to 8.4 percent recorded in March 2019.
The major food sub-groups that recorded lower  inflation rates for April 2019 compared to March 2019 are fruits, which inflation rate fell by 2.1 percentage points.
Both Vegetables and Cereals and Cereal Products subgroups’ inflation rates fell by 1.6 percentage points in April 2019 compared to March 2019.
The non-food group recorded a year-on-year inflation rate of 10.4 percent in April 2019 compared to 9.7% recorded for March 2019.
The rise in the non-food group’s inflation rate was due mainly to an increase in the inflation rates for the Housing, Water, Electricity, Gas and Others Fuels subgroup which recorded the highest rise by 3.9 percentage points from 2.1 percent in March to 6.0 percent in April 2019.
Clothing and Footwear increased by 1.0 percentage point; and Health and Communication subgroups recorded rise of 0.9 percentage point respectively.
The increase in the inflation rates for the Housing, Water, Electricity, Gas and Others Fuels subgroup was partly due to a base-drift effect that was dur to a 17.5 percent downward adjustment in the price of electricity in April 2018.
Five subgroups recorded year-on-year inflation rates higher than the group’s average rate of 10.4 percent.
Clothing and footwear recorded the highest inflation rate of 14.3 percent, followed Recreation and culture 14.1%, Transport with 13.2%, Furnishings, household equipment and routine maintenance with 12.8% Miscellaneous goods and services subgroup (10.0%). Inflation was lowest in the health sub-sector with (5.9%).
At the regional level, the year-on-year inflation rate ranged from 8.0 percent for Upper East Region to 11.5 percent for Upper West Region.
Four regions- Upper West, Brong Ahafo, Western and Ashanti- recorded inflation rates above the national average while Northern and Eastern regions recorded the same inflation of 9.0 percent.
A business desk report