{
  "id": 16756770,
  "title": "Building cost inflation rises to 5.1% in September 2026 – GSS",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/27/building-cost-inflation-rises-to-5-1-in-september-2026-gss",
  "topic": "finance",
  "section": "Finance & Markets",
  "published": "2026-10-27T14:46:38.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Adom Online",
    "slug": "adom-online",
    "url": "https://www.adomonline.com/building-cost-inflation-rises-to-5-1-in-september-2026-gss/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "In September 2026, Ghana's building cost inflation surged to 5.1%, a notable increase from 4.6% in the previous month, according to the Ghana Statistical Service (GSS). The Prime Building Cost Index (PBCI) report reveals that construction costs rose 5.1% compared to the same period in 2025. Prices saw only a minor rise of 0.03% between August and September 2026. The primary drivers of this inflation were the steep uptick in the cost of plant and equipment, which reached 19.1% in September, up from 17.9% in August. Additionally, the materials category experienced a rise in inflation, climbing from 5.8% in August to 6.5% in September. However, labor costs showed a concerning decline, with the inflation rate dropping to -3.2% in September, down from -2.9% in August. The data further indicates that reinforcement materials had the highest annual inflation rate at 29.0%, whereas steel had the lowest rate at -8.8%. Out of the 23 monitored construction input sub-groups, 14 recorded inflation rates surpassing the national building cost inflation rate of 5.1%. The GSS explained that the PBCI tracks changes in the prices of essential construction inputs, including materials, labor, and plant and equipment. The index uses 2023 as its reference year, with a base value of 100, to monitor construction cost movements over time. The GSS emphasized that the PBCI is crucial for investors, developers, contractors, and policymakers to plan projects, negotiate contracts, adjust bids, and effectively manage budgets while monitoring inflation trends in the building sector.",
  "summary": "Ghana’s building cost inflation increased to 5.1 percent in September 2026, up from 4.6 percent recorded in August, according to the Ghana Statistical Service (GSS). The latest Prime Building Cost Index (PBCI) report indicates that construction costs were 5.1 percent higher compared to the same period in 2025, while prices increased marginally by 0.03 percent […]",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "MyJoyOnline Ghana",
        "title": "Building inflation increases to 5.1% in September 2026, but cement inflation stood at -6.1%",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/27/building-inflation-increases-to-5-1-in-september-2026-but-cement",
        "published": "2026-10-27T13:31:36.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}