The Ghana Drunkards Association has issued a three-week ultimatum to the government to reduce the prices of alcoholic beverages, warning that its 16.65 million members nationwide may stage a massive demonstration if the demand is not met.
The call was made via a video release featuring Moses Obuah, who is presumed to be the group’s leader or representative, as seen on X on Sunday.
In the video, Obuah said the group expects the government to act swiftly, citing the recent sharp appreciation of the Ghanaian cedi against the US dollar and other major currencies as justification for immediate price reductions.
“To date, the prices of alcoholic drinks keep going up. If you purchase alcohol, there is an increment of about 15%, and this affects vendors. We’ve learnt that the cedi has gained some strength and the price of some items has been reduced. However, the cost of alcohol remains high,” the association’s representative states.
He added, “We are therefore calling on President John Dramani Mahama and his Minister for Trade and Industry to do something about the prices. We have given them a three-week grace period to meet us so we can deliberate on how to reduce the prices of alcohol. We are not making this call for only alcoholic drinks but for the non-alcoholic ones as well.”
The demand comes amid a strong performance by the Ghanaian cedi in 2025, which has surged nearly 50 per cent against the US dollar, outperforming all other global currencies this year. According to Bloomberg data, the cedi is currently the world’s best-performing currency in 2025.
Nairametrics had reported this development earlier in June, noting that the cedi, Africa’s most improved currency this year, opened 2025 near ₵15 per dollar and is now trading close to the ₵10 per dollar resistance level. The rally has been driven by growing investor confidence as Ghana, the continent’s top gold producer, recovers from its economic crisis and sovereign debt default.
According to the association, this currency appreciation should have translated into lower costs for imported goods, including alcoholic beverages, but that has yet to be reflected in market prices.
More insights
This is not the first time the Ghana Drunkards Association has engaged the government over alcohol-related economic concerns.
- In December 2024, the group sent a congratulatory message to then-President-elect John Dramani Mahama and used the opportunity to call for a reduction in taxes imposed on alcoholic beverage producers.
- They argued that high excise duties and regulatory costs on manufacturers were inflating consumer prices and straining the finances of ordinary Ghanaians, particularly bar owners and regular consumers.
“We are not just concerned about drinking for fun. This is our livelihood and social fabric. When alcohol becomes too expensive, it affects our community and economy,” Obuah stated in the earlier message.
The Ghanaian Ministry of Trade and Industry and other relevant agencies have yet to issue a public response to the association’s demands.
What you should know
While Ghanaian consumers are now calling for alcohol price reductions following the Cedi’s strong performance, Nigerian drinkers continue to grapple with high prices, more than a year after repeated hikes by Nigerian Breweries Plc, one of the country’s major brewers.
In March 2024, the company raised the prices of several products, following an earlier increase in February, citing rising input costs. The adjustments were communicated to distributors and took effect from March 15.
- In February 2024, the company’s CEO, Hans Essaadi, revealed that many Nigerians could no longer afford popular products like Goldberg due to harsh economic conditions.
- Although the company recorded a 9% rise in revenue to N599.6 billion in 2023, it posted a net loss of N106 billion, compared to a N13.18 billion profit in 2022. The poor performance was linked to the naira redesign cash crunch, fuel subsidy removal, naira devaluation, and persistent inflation, which weakened consumer demand and drove up operational costs.
As of June 2025, no major brewer has reversed prices, and alcohol remains costly for many Nigerians.
