Ghana's building inflation holds steady at 2.2% in April

Ghana's building inflation held firm at 2.2% in April 2026, providing some financial relief. However, this stability masks a 1.5% rise in construction input costs from March to April, driven by increasing prices for materials and labor.

The latest Prime Building Cost Index (PBCI) shows the annual inflation rate remained consistent with March's figures. Government Statistician Dr. Alhassan Iddrisu presented the data, noting the PBCI stood at 136.1 in April 2026, up from 133.2 the previous year, reflecting the 2.2% annual cost increase. He also highlighted a significant year-on-year decline in inflation, down 22.2 percentage points from March 2025's 24.4%.

“

At the sub-group level, glazing materials recorded the highest inflation rate of 16.2 per cent, reflecting rising costs within that category.

Material inflation saw a slight increase to 2.4% in April from 2.3% in March, with material prices rising 1.7% within the month. Labor inflation, conversely, slowed to 1.0% from 1.6%, though labor prices still saw a monthly increase of 0.8%. Plant inflation, however, surged to 4.7% year-on-year, up from 2.6% in March. Glazing materials recorded the highest subgroup inflation at 16.2%, while cement prices dropped by 11.2%.

Dr. Iddrisu recommended that households planning construction projects phase their activities and buy materials like cement and steel early. He also advised budgeting for high-inflation items such as glazing, plumbing, and roofing materials. For contractors, he urged locking in supplier prices through medium-term contracts and updating bids regularly, paying close attention to electrical works, glazing, plumbing, metal works, and skilled labor, which are key cost drivers. He encouraged the government to leverage the current subdued inflation to accelerate infrastructure projects and focus policy interventions on easing supply bottlenecks for costly materials and expanding artisan training programs.

“

policy interventions should focus on easing supply bottlenecks affecting high-cost materials while expanding artisan and technical training programmes to contain future labour cost pressures.