Muslims in Tamale in the Northern Region have lamented the perennial price hikes of food commodities during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.
Ramadan, a month in the Islamic calendar where Muslims fast and pray, is also a month when they multiply their good deeds by being pious, honest, and holy.
However, in Tamale, residents complain that the month of Ramadan is used by many Muslims to make extraordinary profits on food commodities such as rice, sugar, and fruits, which are usually in high demand during the fasting.
As the month begins latest by Sunday, March 2, many people in Tamale are expressing fears, explaining that the situation will not be different this year as well.
Some of the residents who spoke to Xtrememediaonline today, February 28, expressed worry that prices of goods in high demand will begin to go up from Friday, when Muslims will begin the search for the Ramadan crescent.
“The moment the moon is sighted, prices of almost everything will begin to go up. From milk to sugar to rice, to even oranges and mangoes that are cultivated right here.” Abdul Somed told Xtrememediaonline.com after Friday Jummah prayers in Tamale.
He described such a trend as “unislamic because Allah admonishes us to be honest in Ramadan. If so, how can you all of a sudden increase your prices simply because Ramadan is here and your goods will be in high demand? Are you not supposed to be honest?”
Laila Adam, also a resident of Tamale, wondered why a Muslim-dominated city like Tamale would be experiencing such price hikes when businesses in other towns and cities with a lower Muslim population try as much as possible to maintain their prices, especially during Ramadan.
“It really worries me. I usually ask why Tamale, which has more Muslims in the country than any other place, will have such an unislamic thing happening and nothing is done about it. I have worked in Bolga and Techiman, and I can tell you that during Ramadan, business owners who are not even Muslims do their best to keep prices down for us,” she said.
“Last year, watermelon I was buying for 10 cedis suddenly jumped to over 30 cedis. After Ramadan, surprisingly, the prices came down again. That’s not fair; we’re hurting ourselves,” she added.
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Already, Ghanaians are battling with high inflation, with the government announcing that the inflation for the month of January 2025 stood at 23.5 percent.
Many Imams used their final Friday sermon before Ramadan to preach against such practices, but for residents, little to nothing will change as it has remained the phenomenon for several years.