Flour users in the Ashanti Region are gearing up for a massive protest against the government and flour manufacturing companies over what they describe as an unjustifiable failure to reduce the cost of flour, despite the recent appreciation of the Ghana cedi against the US dollar.
The group, led by the Ashanti Flour Users Association, says their frustration stems from both the manufacturers’ refusal to lower prices and the government’s apparent unwillingness to intervene.
Speaking in an exclusive interview with Modern Ghana Online, the association’s secretary, Mr. Smart Agyeman, expressed deep disappointment, singling out Olam Agri—one of Ghana’s major flour producers—for criticism after it increased the price of a bag of flour to GHS 730.
He recalled that at the onset of the cedi’s appreciation in April 2025, Olam’s flour was priced at GHS 710.
“…so I was expecting Olam to decrease their price now that the cedis has recorded nearly 16 percent against the US dollar,” he said.
Mr. Agyeman referenced 2022, when the high price of flour was justified by manufacturers due to the depreciating cedi and the resulting surge in international wheat costs.
“And so now that the Ghana Cedis value is appreciating, we were expecting that Olam will decrease the cost of a bag of flour the same way some local companies are reducing the cost of baking essentials like margarine and sugar,” he added.
He described the price hikes as a form of exploitation and a show of disregard for bakers across the country.
According to him, the Trade Ministry must step in and hold flour producers, particularly Olam Agri, accountable.
“We will have no option than stage a demonstration if nothing is done by government,” he noted.
The group insists that unless swift action is taken to correct the pricing disparities, they will take to the streets to demand fair treatment and accountability from both the manufacturers and the government.
