Ghana Drunkards Association Threatens Nationwide Demonstration Over High Alcohol Prices

The Ghana Drunkards Association has delivered a three-week ultimatum to the government, calling for a decrease in the prices of alcoholic beverages, threatening a large-scale nationwide protest by its reported 16.65 million members if demands are not met.

In a video shared on X on Sunday, June 15, 2025, a man named Moses Obuah, presumed to be the association’s leader or spokesperson, urged the government to act promptly in light of the recent appreciation of the Ghanaian cedi, which he argued should have resulted in lower alcohol prices.

“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,” Obuah stated.

“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 states.

“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.

“If the grace period is over and there’s no action, about 16.6 million members nationwide will stage a demonstration.”

This warning comes after a significant recovery by the Ghanaian cedi in 2025, which has appreciated by nearly 50 per cent against the US dollar, positioning it as the top-performing currency worldwide this year.

Bloomberg data indicates the cedi began the year at approximately ₵15 per dollar and now trades near ₵10.

The association contended that this strengthened currency should lead to reduced prices for imported goods, including alcohol—something they claim has not occurred.

The government and the Ministry of Trade and Industry have not yet addressed the Association’s ultimatum or signaled any readiness to participate in the requested discussions regarding alcohol pricing policies.

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Nnamdi Okoli