The Governor of the Bank of Ghana has downplayed projections by London-based Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) that the Ghana cedi could witness another round of serious depreciation in the coming months.
Dr. Ernest Addison said, “I don’t think that these projections are plausible especially projecting the exchange rate for three years that is really a daring thing to do and you will find that such projections more often than not do not turn out to be correct because the horizon is too far out.
He added, “But I can tell you that our objective is to keep the cedi as stable we can and also keep our inflation on target. We should expect that the cedi would remain stable over the short to medium term on the basis of that fact that we are currently fairly well positioned in terms of the level of international reserves we have.”
The Governor was speaking at the Monetary Policy Committee’s Meeting press conference which announced the central bank’s decision to hold the policy rate at 16 per cent.
The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) has predicted that the Ghana Cedi will hit GH¢6.50 to US$1 by 2023.
This was contained in EIU’s country report on Ghana which was released on 13 May 2019.
In his briefing notes, the editor of the EIU report, Nathan Hayes, stated that: “The cedi will remain prone to periods of volatility, given the ongoing domestic economic weakness of high dependence on commodity prices. From an average of GH¢4.58: US$1 in 2018, the currency will weaken to GH¢6.50: $1 in 2023”.
The EIU said it now expects the cedi to average GH¢5.31 to $1 in 2019, from GH¢5.20 to US$1 previously, with depreciation driven by the government’s fiscal position, together with the large current account deficit and increased political uncertainty before the 2020 elections.
“We have revised down our inflation forecast for 2019, to 9.6% from 10.9% previously, as the broader downward trend in inflation from its 2016 highs continues and as the higher base effects from 2018 temper the growth rate more than we previously envisaged,” the report added.
DISCLAIMER: The Views, Comments, Opinions, Contributions and Statements made by Readers and Contributors on this platform do not necessarily represent the views or policy of Multimedia Group Limited.
DISCLAIMER: The Views, Comments, Opinions, Contributions and Statements made by Readers and Contributors on this platform do not necessarily represent the views or policy of Multimedia Group Limited.
Latest Stories
-
Inflation for May 2025 drops sharply to 18.4%
5 minutes -
The majority of Ghanaians still have confidence in Ghana’s democracy, study shows
13 minutes -
Video: June 4 uprising commemorated in Agomanya amidst rain
18 minutes -
Ghana falls sharply to 31st position in Africa with lowest fuel prices
21 minutes -
Ghana takes step towards aluminium-led industrialisation with new GIADEC board
24 minutes -
Ghana’s small-scale gold exports surpass large-scale for first time: $4 billion windfall boosts cedi
33 minutes -
The consequences will be dire for all of us – COPEC on GH¢1 fuel levy
34 minutes -
Chelsea show interest in Mohammed Kudus
40 minutes -
Climate Talks Dialogue moves to Keta to integrate indigenous knowledge into coastal resilience strategy
46 minutes -
Chamber of Pharmacy, pharmaceutical importers announces price cuts after cedi appreciation
48 minutes -
Man City agree deal to sign AC Milan’s Reijnders
52 minutes -
Religion had minimal impact on voter behaviour in 2024 elections- research
56 minutes -
Finance Minister warns new SSNIT Board: ‘Do not sell state assets to politicians’
59 minutes -
Strike by nurses disrupts healthcare services across Ghana
1 hour -
Ghana, Japan Sign ¥402m grant agreement to boost human capital development
1 hour