Kpebu urges Mahama to act on World Bank’s 56.4% poverty report
Lawyer Martin Kpebu has urged President John Dramani Mahama to take urgent action following a World Bank report indicating that 56.4% of Ghanaians remain in poverty.
According to Mr Kpebu, the report by the Bretton Woods institution is worrying and should serve as a wake-up call for the government to address the country’s economic and employment challenges.
He also expressed concern over Ghana’s growing unemployment rate, warning that the situation could pose a serious threat to public safety and social stability if not urgently addressed.
“Too many people are unemployed; that is gunpowder,” Mr Kpebu said.
“This is scary; even when you are in your car, it is not safe. We have to do something urgently about unemployment,” he added.
The World Bank, in its 10th Ghana Economic Update, reported that 56.4% of Ghana’s population remains in poverty despite recent economic growth.
Speaking at the launch of the report, the World Bank Group’s Division Director for Ghana, Liberia and Sierra Leone, Dr Robert Taliercio O’Brien, said the country’s economic growth had yet to translate into broad-based improvements in living standards.
He said widening spatial disparities pointed to a disconnect between Ghana’s headline economic performance and the experiences of a large section of the population.
“56.4% of Ghanaians remain in poverty. And spatial disparities are widening,” Dr Taliercio O’Brien said.
He explained that another major challenge was the structure of Ghana’s economic growth, which is being driven by sectors with limited capacity to create enough jobs.
“Growth is led by sectors with limited employment absorption relative to its growing young population entering the labour market in the next decade,” he said.
Dr Taliercio O’Brien described the situation as a structural imbalance requiring urgent attention, particularly as Ghana’s youthful population continues to expand and more young people enter the labour market.
Mr Kpebu’s call comes amid growing concerns over the ability of Ghana’s economic growth to translate into improved living conditions and sufficient employment opportunities for the population.
Source: 3news.com
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