Ghana’s reserves fall slightly to $7.32bn in October 2021; $1.03bn trade surplus recorded – Bank of Ghana reveals

Data from the Bank of Ghana has revealed that Ghana’s net international reserves fell from $8.21 billion in August 2021 to $7.32 billion in October 2021, about 4.9 months of import cover.

The reserves however stood at $7.25 billion in September 2021, equivalent to 4.9 months of imports cover.

The decline in the reserves may be due to some of the reserves used to shore up the cedi’s stability against the dollar, whilst some were used to finance the 2021 Budget.

According to the figures from Bank of Ghana on External Sector Developments, the Heritage and Stabilization Funds in the first 10 months of this year stood at $923.6 million.

The country’s reserves experienced a significant growth because of boost in oil prices, whilst cocoa and gold prices have also been favourable so far this year. This follows a rebound in the global economy.

Trade surplus surges to $1.036bn in October 2021

For the trade account, the nation registered a trade surplus of $1.036 billion in October 2021, 1.5% of Gross Domestic Product.

Total exports for the 10 months of 2021 were estimated at $12.21 billion, whilst total imports were estimated at $11.17 billion.

Gold dominated the total value of exports, recording $4.21 billion in October 2021.

Crude oil took over from cocoa in second position, as $3.19 billion came in as proceeds from the export commodity in the first 10 months of this year. The growth in oil exports is due to the higher price of crude oil which is presently hovering around $80 per barrel.

Cocoa exports brought in $2.41 billion in October 2021. Importantly, cocoa price has also been favorable on the world market in 2021.

For imports, oil imports accounted for $2.11 billion, whilst non-oil imports totaled $9.06 billion.

The current account balance also stood at -$1.88 billion, about -2.6% of GDP in September 2021.

However, the overall balance of payment stood at $1.68 billion in the first nine months of this year, about 2.4 months of GDP.