The Ghana Statistical Service (GSS) recently conducted a two-day workshop in Sefwi Wiawso, the regional capital of the Western North Region, to disseminate the Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) reports and provide training on the STATSBANK platform.
The event brought together Municipal and District Chief Executives, Heads of Departments, District Statisticians, media personnel, and other stakeholders from various assemblies within the region.
The MPI is a comprehensive measure of non-monetary deprivation, encompassing various indicators and dimensions such as living conditions (electricity, overcrowding, cooking fuel, housing), health (insurance coverage and mortality), education (attendance, attainment, school lag), and employment (work for wage or profit). Participants were thoroughly briefed on these indicators, which were derived from the 2021 Population and Housing Census conducted by the GSS.
In an interview, Mr. Richard Atsu Kuadamah, the National Principal of the GSS, highlighted that wealth is no longer solely determined by monetary income but also by access to education, employment, healthcare, and adequate living conditions. He noted that the Western North Region, like many other regions, recorded a high rate of poverty. According to the 2021 census, the region had a population of 869,756, with 27% living below the poverty line and an intensity rate of 41.9%.
Mr. Kuadamah emphasized that the workshop aimed to inform policymakers about the prevalent poverty challenges in their districts, communities, and the nation at large, and to discuss strategies to address these issues. Mr. Jacob Andoh Oxwell, the Western North Regional Statistician, underscored the significance of understanding the MPI report, which examines poverty beyond mere monetary aspects.
Participants, including municipal and district executives, expressed their satisfaction with the workshop and their commitment to tackling the key findings in their respective assemblies.
The workshop was reported by Nana Yaw Adinkrah of Faith98.7 FM.
