By Caleb Kuleke, GNA
Ho, June 17, GNA – Dr Archibald Yao Letsa, Volta Regional Minister, has asked the media to highlight the findings of the Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) report from the Ghana Statistical Service (GSS) and to educate the public about the measures being taken to combat poverty.
He said the media’s role in disseminating information and increasing awareness of the findings was crucial because it would inspire community support and involvement.
Dr Letsa was speaking at a maiden workshop on Regional Dissemination of the MPI reports and training on StatsBank for the Municipal and District Assemblies in the Volta Region, organised by the GSS.
The GSS, governed by the Statistical Service Act, 2019 (Act 1003), is mandated to collect, compile, analyse, publish, and disseminate official statistics across a wide range of economic, social, demographic, and governance issues.
Dr Letsa said that data analysis, interpretation, and planning were critical to the implementation of the reports, thus he charged the district and municipal planning officers and statisticians to bring their expertise to bear in these areas.
The Minister said accurate interpretation of the MPI findings would enable the region to craft evidence-based policies tailored to each municipal and district’s unique contexts.
Dr Letsa commended the staff of GSS for their hard work, saying, the dedication and commitment of the staff to collecting and analysing data was the foundation of understanding of poverty in Volta Region.
“The comprehensive MPI reports you have produced are invaluable tools that will guide our policy-making and intervention strategies, and the development of the StatsBank are testament to your hard work and commitment,” he said.
The Minister urged the Municipal and District Assemblies to leverage the data available through the GSS StatsBank to craft policies that address the specific needs of the communities.
The GSS StatsBank is an online platform that allows users to access disaggregated statistics from censuses, surveys, and administrative data sources.
Dr Letsa described the StatsBank as an invaluable resource that enhanced people’s ability to analyse data at a granular level, facilitating more precise and impactful decision-making.
Mr William Antiaye Addy, Deputy Director of Finance, GSS, speaking on behalf of the Government Statistician, said the report provided users with relevant information to address challenges that confront the country.
“The targeted users of the report include the Municipal Planning and Coordination Unit, Development Partners, Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), the Private Sector, Research Institutions, Academia, Religious Organizations, Traditional Rulers, and the general public.”
He said the report identified those who were most deprived, extending beyond traditional money-metric measures of poverty, and served as a strategic tool for policymaking, and provided baseline data for measuring progress toward eliminating poverty in all its forms everywhere.
The Deputy Director of Finance said elimination of poverty in the country would only be possible when the extent and nature of deprivation for different groups of the population were known.
He noted that without this fundamental understanding, the country’s collective efforts in poverty eradication would be an exercise in futility.
GNA