President Akufo-Addo is appealing to traders to reduce the prices of goods and services to reflect the current situation as the cedi keeps gaining in value against the dollar and other currencies of international trade.
According to him, it is only fair that traders who increased prices when the reverse was the case, now have to reduce it for Ghanaians to have a ‘more pleasant Christmas.’
“I believe this is not only a fair request, but also a just one, and I urge all of you to join me in this clarion call so we can all have a more pleasant Christmas,” the president said on Sunday, 18 December 2022, when he delivered an address at the centenary celebration of the Ga Presbytery of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana, held at the Black Star Square, Accra.
The Ghana cedi in the past week has gained some significant strength against the US dollar with prices of fuel also recording substantial reduction.
According to the Bank of Ghana, the local currency is currently trading at GH¢8 on the interbank market with a litre of petrol and diesel selling at GH¢13 and GH¢16 respectively.
Addressing the congregation, which included the Moderator of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana, Rev. Prof. Joseph Obiri Yeboah Mante, he stated that with appropriate policy, determination and hard work on the part of the government, things are beginning to turn around.
According to President Akufo-Addo, “the strengthening of the cedi has not happened by chance, but through the implementation of deliberate policies by government, in collaboration with the Bank of Ghana.”
These measures, he said, include “cedi liquidity tightening measures, resulting in the offloading of forex, as a store of value, by speculators; the improvement of forex flows from remittances and the mining sector; and the reaching of a staff-level agreement with the IMF for a US$3 billion package.”
