Bitter financial conditions have forced 34-year-old machine operator, Issaka Obeng, to think of other avenues of keeping body and soul together.

According to him, his GH¢800 income is not enough to cater for himself, his wife and two children.

Balancing his family expenditure and keeping his head afloat has not been easy as he has to cut down on the high cost of food to survive, blaming the economy as the cause of his current situation.

“You have to do ‘kpakpakpa’ alongside your work. If you’re not able to do kpakpakpa, you will get caught up on the road.”

Previously, he spent GH¢2 on banku and GH¢3 on fish but lately, his favourite food joint sells the same dish for not less than GH¢7.

On a few lucky days, his wife may provide supper from GH¢50 housekeeping money he gives her.

“I don’t actually eat in the morning. I fast and then in the afternoon I can spend GH¢9 on good food. When I get back home, my wife is able to prepare food from the GH¢50 I give her. It’s not good,” he lamented.

Food vendors bear the brunt of angry customers who accuse them of inflating the cost of food.

But they explain that the steep rise in food prices is as a result of expensive groceries.

Local eatery owner, Maa Regina Lokko, fears her business may collapse soon because of what she describes as a harsh business environment.

“I’m adopting strategies to cushion my business. Because of the increasing cost of ‘Ademe’, I have to cut down and support with okro. I have to do same to the groundnut soup with groundnut. These days we don’t even get many customers and even those who come can’t even afford the food,” she noted.

She has been in the food business for 35 years but since last year, her anxiety about the survival of her business has heightened.

“I am currently funding the business with a loan. However, if the prices of groceries continue to rise, it will be difficult to offset the loan and that will kill my business.”

The cost of food increased by 11 per cent in October, 2021, higher than the same period in the previous year.

The impact of this is that the many who earn little or nothing find it difficult to afford basic necessities.

JoyNews' Living Standard Series

In an all-new show, the Living Standard Series, JoyNews is set to tell the stories of how the average Ghanaian is surviving in current times after the ravaging impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the economy.

People continue to be negatively affected by the harsh economic climate and skyrocketing inflation on food and goods.

The Living Standard Series is live on Joy FM, JoyNews on MultiTV and all social media platforms.