The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) of the Bank of Ghana has maintained the policy rate at 27 per cent, citing stability in the macroeconomic indicators.
The growth outturn so far has been strong, and the leading indicators of economic activity was projecting stronger growth in the second half of the year, business and consumer confidence is slowly turning around.
In a statement, the Bank of Ghana said core inflation remained broadly stable, the financial sector inflation expectations remained broadly anchored, reserve build-up has been sufficient to provide confidence, and the currency is recording some appreciation.
At the time of the last MPC meeting, the average inflation forecast for a year ahead which stood at 19.0 percent increased slightly to 20.1 percent in this forecast round.
The statement said the horizon for inflation to get back within the target band of 6 -10 per cent had slightly shifted forward to Q4 2025 from the original forecast period of Q3 2025.
“In the near-term, strengthening of the currency will augur well for future price developments,” it said.
The statement said the third review assessment of the IMF on the economy and on programme implementation also reflected a positive assessment and led to a Staff level Agreement.
He said indications were that the IMF Board would meet in December to assess programme implementation thus far and assess forward-looking prospects of the economy.
“Successful completion of the assessment will likely trigger the release of additional US$360 million in December 2024 and this should provide more impetus to stability,” the statement added.
The statement said the cedi’s rebound observed recently should continue with the dissipation of election-related uncertainties and the improved foreign exchange buffers accumulated by the central bank.
It said a combination of economic uncertainty brought about by the upcoming elections and the high demand for foreign exchange had led to an exchange rate path that was slightly deviated from the fundamentals.
The statement said with strong macroeconomic policy implementation and improved foreign exchange availability; the economy should observe a realignment of the trajectory of the exchange rate with the fundamentals.
It said commercial banks have accumulated enough capital buffers to withstand the effects of the external debt restructuring.
It said the latest macro-prudential risk assessment showed that the impact from the Eurobond restructuring would be minimal, given the preemptive provisioning made by banks to account for potential impairments.
“Banks are therefore expected to continue to remain stable and support economic growth going forward,” the statement added.
The statement said inflation projections showed a slightly elevated profile driven by high and unstable food prices, pass-through of previous exchange rate pressures, fuel prices and utility tariff adjustments.
It said the price increase in food items have been steep in the course and together with a fast-paced depreciating currency earlier on in the year have altered the inflation trajectory and stalled the disinflation process.
Source: GNA
