Ghana Cuts Interest Rate 150bps
2026-03-18 16:23
By
Andre Joaquim
1 min. read
The Bank of Ghana cut its benchmark interest rate by 150bps to 14% in its March 2025 decision, a fifth consecutive rate cut to mark the loose return to borrowing costs from the period before the Russian invasion of Ukraine triggered a global inflation shock.
The cut contrasted slightly with the market consensus of a softer 100bps cut, reflecting policymakers' greater priority of addressing growth concerns despite upside risks to inflation.
Headline inflation recently slowed to a 25-year low of 3.3% in February, but base effects and a surge in global energy prices triggered by the war in the Persian Gulf are likely to trigger some traction in price growth.
On the other hand, the surge in gold prices last year increased the foreign exchange influx into Ghana, limiting the pressure that the Central Bank faces to defend the cedi and adding some leeway for lower policy rates.