Ghana Human Devt Report 2004 to be launched

Accra, Oct. 14, GNA - The Government of Ghana, the UNDP, the UNFPA and the Institute of Statistical, Social and Economic Research (ISSER) of the University of Ghana, will launch Ghana Human Development Report (GHDR) 2004 on Monday.

The report is on the theme, "Breaking the HIV/AIDS Chain: A Human Development Challenge".


A statement from the UNDP in Accra on Friday said the report was being launched to mark the United Nations designated International Day for the Eradication of Poverty (IDEP) on Monday. The launch, which would be hosted by the UN Resident Coordinator and UNDP


Resident Representative, Mr Daouda Toure, takes place under the patronage of the Vice President Alhaji Aliu Mahama. It will bring together Government officials, Diplomatic Corps, the UN Agencies, Development Partners, key stakeholders on HIV/AIDS, CSOs, NGOs, academia, MDG Youth Networks, the media and private sector actors. Prof. Akilakpa Sawyerr, the Editor and lead consultant, would present key findings of the report to facilitate public discussions at the launch.


Just like the Global HDR, the Ghana Human Development Report is designed to provide in-depth analysis on a selected theme through the provision of information and data.

It also offers policy options from global perspectives as well as country-specific statistics. Throughout the report, policy considerations are supported by facts and figures in selected welfare indicators, education, incidence of poverty, HIV/AIDS statistics, human safety and security, good governance, gender and empowerment as well as the use of computers and the internet in the country.


The Ghana Human Development Report, an offshoot of the UNDP Global Human Development Report, discusses the general status of HIV/AIDS in Ghana through the human development lenses, including a close examination of the pattern of the disease, how it is regarded in society, its potential impact on the well being of Ghanaians and the way it is being managed by both the public and private sectors actors. The report has update from the 2004 HIV Sentinel Survey in Ghana and reports that the HIV/AIDS scourge has not only been a public health challenge but also a major challenge to the socio-economic development of Ghana.


It says that the nation had a median prevalence rate of 3.6% in 2003, which translates into 392,000 HIV/AIDS infected persons as at the end of same year. The prevalence rate of infection in the country is reported as 3.1% in 2004, down from 3.6 in 2003. The report argues that attempts to accelerate development in Ghana to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) will amount to little unless the state and society at large take direct steps to curb the devastating spread of the disease.