Some 18.2 per cent of Ghanaians live in extreme poverty

Dodowa (GAR), April, GNA - Research has shown that an estimated 28.5 per cent of Ghanaians are considered to be poor with 18.2 per cent classified as extremely poor.

"The extremely poor, who live below GH¢0.80 a day, are those who are unable to provide regular quality food for their households or themselves, meet their basic human needs and are trapped in the inter-generational cycle of poverty, which also affects their children," said Mr Stephen Amoanor Kwao, Minister of Employment and Social Welfare. Addressing members of the Social Protection and Livelihoods Technical (SPLiT) committee on Wednesday, he noted that the main objective of the committee was to oversee the implementation of all social protection or poverty alleviation programmes such as the Livelihood Empowerment against Poverty (LEAP) scheme, among others. Mr Kwao noted that the SPLiT committee, which was made up of people mainly in government agencies, would also seek to establish a coordination mechanism to facilitate partnership among their outfits and civil society organizations.

He urged them to establish a services database of their work and also link LEAP beneficiaries and other vulnerable populations with social services and complementary government programmes. Mrs Angela Asante-Asare, National Coordinator of SPLiT, the body established to handle all government poverty alleviation strategies, said the strategy was a human rights approach to poverty reduction, which derived its mandate from various local and international instruments to which Ghana was signatory. She said her outfit would fight poverty in a holistic manner and also help in the elimination of extreme poverty.