Rwanda’s consumer inflation accelerated for the second straight month in December 2022 on the back of higher food prices, official data has showed.Consumer price index (CPI), the main gauge of inflation, grew 21.6 percent year on year last month but it was stable on a monthly basis, according to data from the National Institute of Statistics.

On annual basis, the local goods index increased by 22.4 percent, the imported goods index increased by 19.5 percent, the fresh products index increased by 50.1 percent, the energy index increased by 19.9 percent and the core index or the general index excluding fresh products and energy increased by 15.4 percent, the institute said.

On a monthly basis, consumer prices went up 0.2 percent. 

The imported goods index increased by 0.5 percent, the fresh products index decreased by 3.5 percent, the energy index decreased by 0.4 percent and the core index increased by 1.1 percent.

In breakdown, food and non-alcoholic beverages climbed 50.1 percent from December due to tight supplies while Housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels increased by 9 percent in December 2021 compared to the same period of 2021.