Ghana Nov consumer inflation rose to 17.6 pct yr/yr -stats office

Ghana's annual consumer price inflation rose to 17.6 percent in November from 17.4 percent the month before, the statistics office said on Wednesday.
The figure is an indication of the economic problems faced by the West African nation, which is following a three-year aid programme with the International Monetary Fund in an attempt to restore fiscal balance.
Food inflation inched up to 7.9 pct from 7.8 in October while non-food inflation was 23.2 percent compared to 23.0 percent the previous month, said deputy government statistician Baah Wadieh.
"Non-food commodities, mainly education and recreation, were the key price drivers," Wadieh told a news conference.
Inflation will fall slightly to 10.1 percent next year from an initial forecast of 11.5 percent in 2015, according to November's budget. It will likely rise in December, however, after a sharp rise in utility prices this week.
The central bank projected it will top 17 percent this year.
Once among Africa's fastest growing economies, the gold, cocoa and oil exporter has seen growth slow due to lower global commodity prices and a fiscal crisis in which its debt-to-GDP ratio has risen to around 70 percent.
*First published by Reuters