World Bank to eliminate extreme poverty

The World Bank (WB) has projected that extreme poverty should be eliminated completely or reduced from 23 per cent to three per cent by 2030 globally.

Mr Donald Bundy, Lead Head and Education Specialist of the WB, who made the projection, expressed regret that many nations are experiencing tremendous economic growth yet the poor are not benefiting from the progress.

Mr Bundy made the projection when he was addressing participants attending an international conference on School Health and Nutrition (SHN) Short Course at Elmina in the Central Region on Monday.

He said currently about one billion people the world over live in extreme poverty.

The 10-day course, which forms part of a series of SHN Courses for Africa, is being jointly organised by Partnership for Child Development, West Africa International Parasite Control of the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical research and Eastern and Southern Africa Centre of International Parasitic Control.

It is the ninth edition and is being attended by representatives from ministries of health, education, gender and social development, SHN experts, civil society and academicians from 13 countries including Ghana, Senegal, Kenya, Nigeria, Angola China, United Kingdom, Cameroun and The Gambia.

It will offer participants the platform to brainstorm on strategies to improve the nutrition value of the School Feeding Programme to enhance the health status of children particularly in Sub Saharan Africa Region.

Mr Bundy indicated that the WB through a three-year cycle programme being carried out by the International Development Agency in 76 countries many of which are in Africa, had earmarked 50 billion dollars towards the eradication of extreme poverty.

He said the first cycle would end in 2014 and would be recycled every three years until the objective is achieved.

Mr Bundy said the focus of the WB is to encourage shared prosperity where wealth endowed nations would have to share their wealth with the poor ones whilst, at the national level the wealthy at the centre would also make available their wealth for the benefit of the poor.

The Coordinator of Ghana School Feeding Programme, Mr Seidu Adamu in an interview with Ghana News Agency said government is seeking funds to expand the programme.

The target is to reach out to all the 4.4 million school children nationwide. Currently, 1.6 million pupils nationwide are enjoying the school feeding programme.

Mr Adamu said the programme is collaborating with the World Bank to improve the nutrition content of the beneficiaries through locally produced fortified foods.