Even as broader food inflation shows signs of cooling, oils and fats remain a stubborn pressure point in Ghanaian kitchens, with year-on-year prices up 24.7 percent in January 2026, according to the Ghana Statistical Service.
From frying tilapia and yam balls to simmering spicy stews for banku or fufu, these ingredients are at the heart of daily cooking. For households, vendors, and small restaurants alike, the cost of palm oil, vegetable oils, and margarine shapes budgets and menus, making even modest price changes immediately visible.
The trend over the past year has been dramatic. Early in 2025, oils and fats surged past 50 percent in mid-year, reflecting global supply pressures and rising import costs.
By December, prices had eased slightly to 25.5 percent, but January shows little relief: households are still paying nearly a quarter more than they did at the start of 2025.
For consumers, higher oil prices touch the heart of daily cooking. Your favorite jollof, a quick plate of Indomie or noodles, a steaming serving of banku with stew, or fried eggs for breakfast, all now cost a little more to prepare.
This staple ingredient is unavoidable in most households, and its rising cost is felt across nearly every meal. From what people cook, to how they shop, to the flavors that fill Ghanaian kitchens, the price of oils and fats continues to shape daily life and household budgets across the country.
