Nationwide protest looming over Alcohol prices – 16.65 million residents threaten Govt

News Update

THE Ghana Drunkards Association has given the government a three-week deadline to reduce the prices of alcoholic beverages, warning that failure to act will lead to a massive nationwide protest involving its 16.65 million members.

In a video shared on X (formerly Twitter) on Sunday, the association’s spokesperson, identified as Moses Obuah, urged the government to adjust alcohol prices in response to the recent appreciation of the Ghanaian cedi.

According to him, the stronger currency should have led to a decrease in prices of imported items, including alcohol, but that hasn’t been the case.

“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, Obuah stated.

Directly appealing to authorities, Obuah called on President John Dramani Mahama and the Minister for Trade and Industry to intervene immediately.

“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,” he added.

The association’s ultimatum comes as the Ghanaian cedi experiences a remarkable rebound, becoming the best-performing currency globally in 2025.

Bloomberg data shows the cedi, which started the year at about ₵15 to the US dollar, now trades closer to ₵10.

The Drunkards Association insists that this currency strength should reflect in the cost of goods, particularly imported beverages.

However, they argue that alcohol prices have remained stubbornly high despite favorable exchange rates.