Ghana drunkards group threatens protest over high alcohol prices

The Ghana Drunkards Association has issued a three-week ultimatum to the government, demanding a reduction in the prices of alcoholic beverages following the recent appreciation of the cedi.

In a viral video posted on X (Formerly Twitter) on Sunday, the association’s president, Moses Drybones, decried the continued rise in alcohol prices despite the cedi gaining strength against major foreign currencies.

“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,” he said.

The group expressed frustration that, although the cedi had strengthened and prices of some goods had dropped, the cost of alcohol remained prohibitively high.

“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,” a representative of the group stated in the video.

ADVERTISEMENT

Citing the impact of the price hike on bar operators and drink vendors across the country, the association called on the former President John Dramani Mahama and the Minister for Trade and Industry to intervene.

The group said,”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.”

The association emphasised that their demands extend beyond alcoholic beverages, noting that non-alcoholic drinks are also affected.

“We are not making this call for only alcoholic drinks but for the non-alcoholic ones as well.”

They warned that failure to act would trigger a nationwide protest involving their estimated 16.6 million members.

The warning follows the Ghanaian cedi’s dramatic rebound in 2025, with Bloomberg reporting nearly a 50 per cent appreciation against the US dollar, making it the world’s best-performing currency so far this year.

The cedi, which opened the year at around ₵15 per dollar, is now trading close to ₵10.

The group argues that the strengthened currency should naturally lead to lower prices for imported goods, including alcohol, an expectation they say has not been met.