Trump says Iran war "close to over" amid hopes for more negotiations
Investing.com -- Ghana’s private sector saw a softer deterioration in business conditions during February, with new orders returning to growth following a decline in January, according to the S&P Global Ghana Purchasing Managers’ Index released Wednesday.
The PMI posted 49.2 in February, up from 48.5 in January but remaining below the 50.0 no-change mark that separates expansion from contraction. The reading indicated a modest worsening in business conditions midway through the opening quarter of the year.
New orders expanded at a slight pace in February after falling in January for the first time in 12 months. Companies attributed the increase to promotional events, marketing activities and price reductions.
Business activity fell for the second consecutive month, though the decline was modest and softer than in January. The reduction in output came despite the return to growth in new orders.
Overall input prices decreased for the fourth straight month in February, falling at the fastest pace since August 2025. Purchase prices declined solidly, while staff costs fell for the first time since July 2020. Companies linked lower purchase costs to an appreciation of the cedi.
Output prices were reduced for the tenth consecutive month, falling at the largest extent in six months as cost savings were passed on to customers.
Employment increased marginally in February, marking just over a year of job creation. However, the rate of growth eased to the weakest in the current expansion period as some firms reported staff resignations. Backlogs of work decreased modestly, though to a lesser extent than in January.
Purchasing activity was scaled back for the second month running in February, declining modestly in line with the previous survey period. Stocks of purchases continued to increase slightly, while suppliers’ delivery times quickened.
Close to 78% of respondents expressed confidence that output will rise over the coming year, with currency stability and lower prices expected to support improvements in new orders.
This article was generated with the support of AI and reviewed by an editor. For more information see our T&C.