By Emelia B. Addae
Koforidua, June 17, GNA – In a significant milestone, this year marks the first time the Ghana Statistical Service (GSS) has prepared a multidimensional poverty index report for every Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Assembly across the country.
The GSS has thus organised a two-day workshop in Koforidua on dissemination of these reports for all 33 municipal and district assemblies in the Eastern Region.
The workshop included a training session for District Statisticians on how to effectively use the Ghana Statistical Service’s Statsbank for data dissemination.
The Statsbank, powered by a PxWeb backend, is an online platform designed for the dissemination of official statistics.
It enables users to easily access detailed statistics derived from census data, surveys, and administrative sources, providing valuable insights into the region’s socioeconomic landscape.
Professor Robert Darko Osei, a Board Member of the Ghana Statistical Service, said that the district-level multidimensional poverty report went beyond traditional income-based measures of poverty.
It identifies the most deprived individuals and serves as a strategic tool for policymaking.
The report provides relevant and timely data to support the implementation and monitoring of the Medium-Term National Development Policy Framework 2022-2025, he stated.
Addressing the participants on behalf of the Eastern Regional Minister, Mr. John Ankrah, Acting Chief Director of the Eastern Regional Coordinating Council, said the Eastern Region with its cultural heritage and agricultural potential, had made significant strides in development.
However, he said the MPI reports underscored critical challenges that needed to be addressed to ensure inclusive and sustainable growth.
“These reports will provide a roadmap for our interventions, highlighting priority areas that require immediate and focused action,” he said.
Regarding the Statsbank, Mr. Ankrah urged statisticians to utilise it to its fullest potential by ensuring that the most accurate and up-to-date information informed decisions making at the district level.
Dr. Audrey Smock Amoah, Director at the Management and Technical Services Directorate of the Office of the Head of Local Government Service, said disaggregated data enhanced planning, monitoring, and reporting, adding “the more the data is disaggregated, the better for us in its usage.”
Mr. Chris Amewu, MPI Coordinator at GSS, took participants through the multifaceted nature of poverty by examining factors such as health, living standards, education, and employment.
He explained that a person is considered multidimensionally poor if deprived in, at least one-third or more of the weighted indicators, that is, education, health, living standards, and employment.
The preparation and dissemination of the Multidimensional Poverty Index reports, was supported by the German Agency for International Cooperation.
The workshop also brought together the 33 Municipal and District Chief Executives, Coordinating Directors, Planning Officers, and Statisticians in the region.
GNA