By Philcollins Duah Frimpong
Tema, Oct. 25, GNA – President John Dramani Mahama has described Nestlé Ghana Limited as an institution deeply woven into the lives of generations of Ghanaians, recalling how Ideal Milk, alongside Milo, Cerelac, Nescafé and Carnation, had become familiar products in households across the country.
Speaking at the commissioning of a new evaporated milk production line at the company’s Tema factory on October 8, 2026, the president drew on childhood memories of Ideal Milk in tea, koko, rice water and other meals to illustrate the enduring relationship between the company’s brands and Ghanaian families.
His remarks highlighted more than nostalgia. They raised a broader question about the strength of established consumer brands in a market where household spending is growing, but many brands continue to struggle to reach a wider section of the population.
For manufacturers, retailers, and marketers, the challenge is not simply to maintain familiarity or generate higher sales. It is to remain relevant to consumers’ changing needs while attracting new households.
Findings from Worldpanel by Numerator’s Brand Footprint research suggest that even in a growing market, increased spending does not necessarily translate into wider consumer reach.
Ghana’s fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) market recorded a 12.9 per cent increase in household spending in 2025, reflecting continued consumer activity. Yet 82 per cent of the country’s top 250 FMCG brands reached fewer than half of Ghanaian households.
The contrast reveals a significant gap between spending growth and household penetration. Although consumers spent more on everyday products, most leading brands had not achieved broad reach across the country’s households.
For businesses, this raises an important question: are brands growing because more households are choosing them, or because existing customers are spending more?
Spending more does not always mean reaching more people
The research found that 69 per cent of Ghana’s top 250 FMCG brands recorded higher consumer spending in 2025, while only 52 per cent increased their Consumer Reach Points (CRPs).
Mr Ifedayo Akinyele, Country Manager of Worldpanel by Numerator, Ghana, said the figures showed that “value growth is currently more widespread than growth in consumer choice”.
The distinction matters because higher spending can result from existing customers buying more frequently during each shopping occasion or choosing different product combinations. Such changes can improve a brand’s sales performance without necessarily expanding the number of households buying it.
Consumer Reach Points (CRPs) measure both the number of households purchasing a brand and how frequently they buy it. An increase in CRPs, therefore, does not automatically mean that a brand has attracted more households.
The research suggests that sustainable growth requires businesses to assess both the value generated by existing customers and their ability to attract new buyers.
Mr Phillip Ofulue, Account Director at Worldpanel by Numerator Ghana, said Ghanaian consumers remained conscious of the value they received from each purchase.
“Growth cannot rely on higher spending alone. Brands must remain relevant, reach more shoppers and give them compelling reasons to choose them again,” he said.
Local and regional brands command consumer choices
Another notable finding is the strong position of local and regional brands in Ghana’s consumer market.
According to the research, these brands accounted for 84 per cent of consumer choices among the country’s top 250 FMCG brands.
Although the findings do not establish a single reason for their performance, factors such as familiarity, relevance to local tastes, affordability and availability may help explain their place in everyday purchasing routines.
Their performance highlights the importance of understanding the circumstances in which consumers make purchasing decisions. A brand may be well known, but its ability to remain part of a household’s regular shopping choices can depend on whether consumers can afford it, find it easily and consider it suitable for their needs.
For businesses seeking to expand their reach, these considerations are particularly important beyond major urban centres, where distribution and product accessibility can influence whether consumers can choose particular brands.
Brands that illustrate different paths to growth
The research offers examples of how established and growing brands compete for consumer attention.
Nestlé’s Milo retained its position as Ghana’s most chosen FMCG brand in 2025, recording 245.3 million Consumer Reach Points. Its performance was supported by its strong position in the cocoa beverage category, which the research identified as the country’s second most frequently purchased FMCG category.
The average shopper, according to the findings, purchased from the category at least once a week, as Milo accounted for almost 90 per cent of sales within the category. The research also reported that the brand maintained a presence in nearly every Ghanaian household.
Onga ranked second among the most chosen brands, with 226.7 million consumer choices, supported by its position in the seasoning category.
Kivo, meanwhile, climbed seven places to third position after more than doubling its consumer reach points to 161.9 million.
Its growth was associated with an expanding buyer base, a presence across multiple food categories, and accessible pack sizes and price points. Seasoning was particularly important to its performance, with the brand accounting for about 85 per cent of sales within one segment of the category.
The contrasting performances of Milo and Kivo illustrate two important aspects of brand competition: maintaining a strong position among existing consumers and expanding the number of households that choose a product.
The research further found that among brands that increased their CRPs by more than 2.5 per cent, approximately 62 per cent achieved growth through a combination of household penetration and purchase frequency.
This suggests that attracting new buyers while retaining existing ones can be an important route to stronger brand performance.
What the numbers really say about Ghanaian shoppers
The data portrays a highly competitive market in which brands must continually earn their place in consumers’ baskets.
What it demonstrates is that accessibility, relevance and consumer reach remain important drivers of performance. Brands that continue to attract households and remain part of regular purchasing routines appear better positioned for growth.
At the same time, caution is necessary when interpreting consumer behaviour.
The findings do not establish that specific purchasing changes are being driven solely by household budget pressures. Nor do they prove the extent to which factors such as price sensitivity, brand switching or pack-size changes are shaping consumer decisions.
Those questions would require additional consumer behaviour research.
The strategic challenge for manufacturers and retailers
For manufacturers and retailers, the findings suggest that growth cannot be reduced to a single lever.
Price increases may improve value performance, but they do not necessarily increase the number of households buying a brand. Likewise, wider distribution alone may not be enough if products lack relevance to local needs and purchasing realities.
The most effective growth strategies are likely to combine multiple interconnected elements: pricing, pack architecture, distribution, accessibility, consumer recruitment, and purchase frequency.
The challenge becomes especially important outside major urban centres, where availability, accessibility and relevance continue to shape brand reach.
Brands seeking broader penetration must ensure products are available where consumers shop, offered in formats that fit purchasing realities and positioned in ways that resonate with local consumption needs.
The opportunity beyond higher spending
The most important insight from Ghana’s FMCG market is not that households are spending more. It is that spending growth alone is an incomplete measure of success.
With 82 per cent of the country’s top 250 FMCG brands still reaching fewer than half of households, significant penetration headroom remains available. The evidence also suggests that the strongest-performing brands combine household recruitment with stronger engagement among existing buyers.
For Ghana’s manufacturers, retailers and marketers, the challenge is therefore clear. Sustainable growth will come not simply from extracting more value from the same consumers but from giving more households a reason and an opportunity to choose a brand in the first place, and then enough value to choose it again.
The brands that master both sides of that equation are likely to define the next chapter of growth in Ghana’s FMCG market.
President Mahama’s recollection of products that have featured in Ghanaian family life for generations provides a reminder of the value of that connection. Market research, meanwhile, points to the challenge of sustaining it in a competitive consumer environment.
Ultimately, a brand’s place in family life is valuable, but enduring market strength depends on continuing to earn the consumer’s choice.
GNA
Edited by Laudia Anyorkor Nunoo/Kenneth Odeng Adade
Reporter: Philcollins Duah Frimpong, GNA