About five days ago, the National Association of Sachet and Packaged Water Producers (NASPAWAP) announced in a formal statement that prices of sachet water were set for an increase effective April 6 attributing the rise in the commodity’s price to have been influenced by the escalating Middle East tension.

The announcement sparked widespread reaction from stakeholders such as the Minority caucus, civil society organisations and the general public. The Minority criticised NASPAWAP’s announcement, arguing that the hike would worsen the cost‑of‑living crisis, while analysts like Appiah Kusi Adomako (CUTS International) argued that the hike highlighted Ghana’s urgent need for a competition law to prevent price fixing and cartel conduct.

Reacting to the backlash and discontent, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Agribusiness stepped in to address the situation.

The Ministry, in a statement, commended the association and the Ghana Plastic Manufacturers Association (GPMA) for their cooperation in averting the price increase, which was to take effect on Monday, April 6.

“The Ministry of Trade, Agribusiness & Industry wishes to commend Ghana Plastic Manufacturers Association (GPMA) and the National Association of Sachet and Packaged Water Producers (NASPAWAP) for their cooperation and suspending the planned price adjustment that was to take effect today, Monday, 6th April 2026”, the statement noted.

It continued that the “decision reflects our commitment to protecting consumers and ensuring market stability”.

Consequently, the public is expected to continue purchasing sachet water at the old price, not the proposed maximum retail price of GH¢15 as earlier reported by the association.

“The Ministry, hereby, assures the public that the price of sachet water will not increase today. Consumers can continue to purchase sachet water at the current price.”

While the prices remain unchanged, the Trades Ministry has now added that his outfit would meet with members of the association to discuss the way forward.

“On Wednesday, 8th April 2026, the Ministry will meet with the leadership of the Ghana Plastic Manufacturers Association (GPMA) and the National Association of Sachet and Packaged Water Producers (NASPAWAP) to urgently address challenges facing the sector.The Ministry remains steadfast in working with all Trade Associations to resolve issues swiftly and maintain stability in the market.”

The last price increase in sachet water occurred about 4 years ago, i.e., in September 2022. NASPAWAP announced a price adjustment, raising the retail price of a bag of sachet water to around GHC 7–8, citing rising fuel and raw material costs.

However, before the September increase, the retail price of a bag of sachet water in Ghana was generally around GHC 5–6, indicating that the price had seen about 33% to 40% increase.

Barely a year later, another increase was announced by the association in April 2023, attributing the hike to continued cedi depreciation and higher polymer costs.

This shot the prices to GHC 10 per bag of 30 sachets of 500ml.

What is a polymer, and why is it affecting the pricing of sachet water in Ghana?

Polymer is a plastic used to package water into sachets because they are strong, lightweight, and water-resistant. It is an essential material in the production processes, as without it, there will be no packaging; hence, if the prices of the material go up, producers increase the commodity prices to make up for it as they experience high production costs.

These plastics are often made from petroleum-based chemicals and are essential for packaging because they are strong and lightweight.

Meanwhile, not only has the Middle East crisis affected the price of sachet water, but Ghana also currently faces the risk of high economic pressures. Consequently, the Governor of the Bank of Ghana (BoG), Dr Johnson Asiama, has warned that despite recent improvements in the country’s macroeconomic indicators, Ghana could face economic pressures if tensions in the Middle East intensify.

He gave the caution at the opening of the 129th meeting of the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC), Dr Asiama on Monday, March 16. Dr Johnson Asiama said the caution stems from tensions affecting key global energy and shipping routes, potentially causing volatility in global oil markets.

He added “Geopolitical uncertainty tends to support gold prices. Given the importance of gold in our export earnings, this could improve our trade balance”.

The ongoing tensions have been linked to the death of Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was reportedly killed in strikes by the United States (U.S.) and Israel. This development is significantly impacting travelers from Ghana to Asia, Europe, and North America, as Dubai is a major transit hub connecting travellers through the United Arab Emirates.

Ghana, being one of the dependents of the global oil supply, stakeholders began to express concerns about a possible shortage of fuel across the country. However, the Corporate Affairs Officer of the Tema Oil Refinery (TOR), Godwin Mahama Ayaba, during an appearance on March 11, indicated that Ghana is unlikely to experience fuel shortages despite rising tensions in the Middle East, citing the country’s diversified sources of petroleum imports and growing local refining capacity.

According to him, the NPA recently issued a statement indicating that the situation in the Middle East will not lead to shortages of petroleum products in the country.

“The National Petroleum Authority, which is the regulator, some three to four hours ago issued an official statement assuring all of us that as for shortage, there is no way the Iran–Israel conflict is going to affect us,” he said.

Mr Ayaba explained that Ghana’s fuel import structure significantly reduces the risk of supply disruption because the country imports most of its finished petroleum products from Europe.

“Ghana largely imports from two different areas: Europe and the Arabian region. Where we import most is Europe,” he noted.

“We import about 80 per cent of our finished petroleum products from Europe and about 20 per cent from the Arabian region, where this conflict may have an impact.”