The Ghana Statistical Service (GSS) has announced that the year-on-year inflation rate for the country’s Prime Building Cost Index (PBCI) slowed to 2.2% in April 2026.
According to the latest PBCI bulletin released by the GSS, the figure reflects the percentage change in the cost of construction inputs over the 12-month period from April 2025 to April 2026.
“The year-on-year inflation rate as measured by the PBCI was 2.2 percent in April 2026,” the report stated. It added that “the monthly change rate for April 2026 is 1.5 percent.”
The PBCI tracks changes in the prices of key construction inputs including building materials, labour and equipment, using 2023 as the base year indexed at 100.
Explaining the relevance of the index, the GSS noted that the PBCI “shows whether it is becoming more expensive or cheaper to build compared to a previous period.”
The Service further explained that the index is used by “investors, developers, contractors, and policy makers to negotiate contracts, adjust bids, budget effectively, and monitor inflation trends in the building sector.”
Data contained in the bulletin showed that inflation in the construction sector has slowed considerably over the past year, declining from 24.4% recorded in April 2025 to 2.2% in April 2026.
At the group level, the Plant category recorded the highest year-on-year inflation rate of 4.7%, followed by Materials at 2.4%, while Labour recorded the lowest inflation rate of 1.0%.
“The Material group recorded a year-on-year inflation rate of 2.4 percent in April 2026 while the Plant group recorded a year-on-year inflation rate of 4.7 percent,” the report said.
The bulletin also highlighted wide variations among construction sub-groups.
“At the sub-group level, Glazing recorded the highest year-on-year inflation rate of 16.2 percent while the sub-group Cement recorded the lowest year-on-year inflation rate of -11.2 percent,” the GSS disclosed.
The report added that “twelve sub-groups out of the 23 sub-groups recorded an inflation rate above the national average of 2.2 percent.”
Metrotvonline
