We need a legislative instrument to address poverty – SEND Ghana

The Senior Programme Officer of SEND Ghana, Harriet Nuamah Agyemang, is urging government to have a legislative instrument that will address the challenges of poverty and inequality in the country.

The Upper West Region is said to be the region with the highest level of inequality since the 1990s. Wa West in the Upper West had the highest poverty incidence and depth whereas the least incidence rate was recorded in La Dade Kotopon Municipal in the Greater Accra Region.

Speaking at a stakeholders’ meeting on inequality organised by SEND Ghana and Democratic Governance in West Africa (DEGOWA), Mrs. Agyemang said having this legislative instrument will help address inequality in a manner that every government intervention initiated will not lose sight of the poor and vulnerable in the society making it bridge the inequality gap in the country.

She further added that “we have realised that resources are inadequate, we are unable to raise enough as a country, we are unable to meet our international benchmarks, particularly, for health and at the same time we have a system where we are trying to also control some of the resources we have in terms of capping some of our finances especially the statutory funds like NHIS levy, the district assembly common fund. And in that case, the implementing agencies do not have enough to implement interventions that would bring developments into those areas”.

She admonished government to provide enough funding to implementing agencies and ensure resources given to them are effectively utilised so the vulnerable can enjoy the benefits.