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AfricaJuly 2 2012

Ghana's banks hope to dodge interest rate woes

Ghanaian banks are worried that rising interest rates and a depreciating currency could lead to a lot of volatility in the next few months. Nonetheless, they remain in good health and are likely to benefit in the coming years from the country’s rapid economic growth.
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Ghana's banks hope to dodge interest rate woes

A year ago, Ghanaian bankers were expecting to enter an era of low interest rates. These had been slashed from 18% in early 2010 to 12.5% by July 2011. And with inflation thought to be heading down, many forecasted further cuts.

Ghana’s situation soon changed, however. With imports surging and liquidity building up quickly amid strong economic growth, the cedi started to slide in the last quarter of 2011. The problem worsened early this year, with the currency depreciating 15% versus the dollar by mid-June. The central bank, to stem the fall and reduce the supply of cedis in circulation, was forced to increase rates to 15% and tighten lenders’ reserve requirements.

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