The Dean of the University of Cape Coast School of Business, Prof. John Gatsi has stated that the high inflation for foodstuff in Ghana will seriously affect okro consumption despite its rich nutritional and medicinal values.
“The consumption of okro stew in Ghana has increased significantly over the years. In recent times upward price development for food items has become a burden.” – Prof. Gatsi said in a Facebook post.
He revealed that “The April 2022 inflation figure for okro is about 62.5%. This promises to affect the consumption of okro and its benefits to Ghanaians negatively.”
According to him, “Okro otherwise called okra is a very important antioxidant that helps to reduce infections, cancers, diabetes, stroke heart diseases among others.” therefore, “Let us deal with high food prices to enhance okro and okro stew consumption to improve the health of people.”
For him, “We must do everything to moderate high food prices to ensure basic food consumption does not become a serious challenge. We must do everything to moderate food prices to ensure basic livelihood.”
Prof. Gatsi emphasized that “Access to healthy basic food should not be defeated by high prices to ensure healthy living for Ghanaians”
Inflation in Ghana has hit 23.6% in the month of April, the highest in the country in the past 18years raising serious concerns about the competence of the managers of the country. In recent times, the government has consistently blamed the current hardships in the country mainly covid-19 and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine for which the Russian government was forced to dismiss the claims of the government saying the difficulties in the country started far before the war.
Covid-19 and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is a global issue that affects almost every country but the inflation figures of Ghana’s immediate neighbors remain much lower.
| Months | Ghana | Burkina Faso | Cote d’Ivoire | Togo |
| January | 13.9% | 7.2% | 5.6% | 7.4% |
| February | 15.7% | 10.1% | 4.6% | 8.5% |
| March | 19.4% | 13.5% | 4.5% | 8.7% |
| April | 23.6% | 15.1% | – | – |
Inflation Figures of Ghana and its immediate neighbors January 2022 to April 2022
By: Efo Korsi Senyo / awakenewsroom.com