Poverty elimination depends on known deprived population — E/R GSS boss

The Eastern Regional Statistician, Bright Worlanyo Neku, has indicated that the elimination of poverty will only be possible when the extent and nature of deprivation of the different groups of the population are known.

He said without such a fundamental understanding, the collective efforts in poverty eradication would be an exercise in futility. Mr Neku made the remarks at the dissemination of District Multidimensional Poverty Report in the Eastern Regional capital, Koforidua, today (June 12).

The Multidimensional Report is a testament to the commitment of making a comprehensive data readily available to users.

Act 2019 (Act 1003)

Mr Neku indicated that the Ghana Statistical Service (GSS), governed by the Statistical Service Act 2019 (Act 1003), had been mandated to collect, compile, analyse, publish and disseminate official statistics across a wide range of economic, social, demographic and governance issues.

He said the universal adherence to the principle of evidence-based decision-making had generated increased demand for timely, credible and relevance statistical data. “It was in response of that demand that the GSS had continually produced disseminated crucial statistical information to the public, fostering a culture of evidence-based decision-making,” the Regional Statistician stated.

He further stated that the report, the first of its kind, covered all the 261 MMDAs and that the targeted users included municipal planning and coordination units, development partners, civil society organisations (CSOs), the private sector, research institutions, academia, religious organisations, traditional rulers and the general public.

The Regional Statistician was grateful to the World Bank, the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ) and the Ministry of Local Government, Decentralisation and Rural Development (MLGDRD) and the MMDAs for their support.

Report

The report identifies those who are most deprived, extending beyond traditional-money, metric measures of poverty and serves as a strategic tool for policy making. It also provides base line data for measuring progress towards elimination of poverty in all its forms everywhere in the country.

Present during the discussion of the report were municipal and district chief executives (MDCEs), municipal and district coordinating directors (MDCDs), municipal and district planning officers, municipal and district statisticians.

Delving deep into the issues, the Eastern Regional Statistician explained that the report had provided relevant and timely data to support the implementation of the Medium-Term National Development Policy Framework (MTNDPF) for 2022-2025.

SDG goals

Mr Neku explained that the statistics would also support the monitoring of progress towards several Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including SDG1, which dealt with ending poverty in all its forms everywhere, SDG3 which ensured healthy lives that promoted the well-being of all ages and SDG4 which ensured inclusive and equitable quality education and promotion of life-long learning opportunities for all.

“The SDG10 deals with reduction in inequality within and among countries, while SDG11 ensures that cities and human settlements would be inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable,” he explained.

Poverty, priority areas

The acting Eastern Regional Co-ordinating Director, John Ankrah, who delivered the speech on behalf of the Regional Minister, Seth Kwame Acheampong, said poverty was not merely the lack of income but encompassed various deprivation that people faced in their daily lives.

He said the report had been a comprehensive approach to provide a deeper understanding of the poverty dynamics in the region's municipalities and districts, stating that the Eastern Region had made significant strides in development.

Mr Ankrah was happy that the report would provide a roadmap for interventions highlighting priority areas that required immediate and focused action.

Writer's email: haruna.wunpini@graphic.com.gh