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Ghana’s progress mixed-MDGs 2015 report

By Abubakari Seidu Ajarfor
Economy & Investments Ghanas progress mixed-MDGs 2015 report
SEP 24, 2015 LISTEN

Ghana progress on the Millennium Development Goals [MDGs] has been described as mixed, according to the Ghana Millennium Development Goals 2015 report.

Despite the fact that Ghana has made strides in targets such as halving extreme poverty, halving the proportion of people without access to safe drinking water, universal primary education and gender parity in primary schools.

Poverty and hunger is still prevalent in the three northern regions i.e. Upper East, Upper West and Northern region.

The 2015 report also highlighted that full and productive employment, equal share of women of women in non-agriculture wage employment, and women’s involvement in governance, reducing under-5 and child mortality, reducing maternal mortality, reversing environmental resources loss and improving sanitation has recorded slow progress.

The report which assesses Ghana’s progress as at 2014 indicated that out of the 21 targets and 60 official indicators adopted globally for monitoring the MDGs, Ghana has adopted a more nationally relevant set of 17 targets and 36 indicators.

The Ghana MDGs 2015 report which was launched by the National Development Planning Commission [NDPC] and the United Nations System in Ghana is a forerunner to the adoption and implementation of the next global development agenda, the Sustainable Development Goals [SDGs] for the next 15years.

The report noted that as we enter the SDGs period, we are confronted with the unfinished business of some MDGs.

The MDGs have dovetailed into the SDGs-some targets are now goals in the SDGs which gives way to address the unfinished business of the MDGs in the next SDGs.

The Director General of NDPC, Dr. Nii Moi Thompson said assessment of progress using data at the end of December 2014 has shown that Ghana made significant progress towards the development of the attainment of the MDGs.

“Out of 9 indicators monitored on the goal 1, 3 were achieved the targets while 3 out of the remaining 6 indicators made significant progress. On the goal 2 and also goal 4, one achieved the target while the remaining two also made significant progress. On the goal 3, one indicator achieved the target while the remaining two made significant progress. Three indicators on the goal 5, we did not achieve the target, we recorded significant progress while one made progress

“Goal 5 is critical because it deals with the issue of maternal health and therefore, by extension, the very sources and basis of our existence needs the support.

“Progress on the goal 8 was impressive generally especially during the first decade of the MDGs………overall, 73 percent of the 37 indicators monitored by Ghana either achieved their target or made significant progress,” the Director General stated.

According to him, Ghana made strides in terms of global assessment “ but there are off course areas where we did not do very well, this particular happened in goal 7 which recorded least performance with only one indicator achieving its target and four i.e. indicators on sanitation, access to secure housing and people living in slums recorded limited progress.”

With the context of the preparation of the long term national development plan which is currently opened for public consultations and views, he added that the major concern often raised about the implementation of the MDGs across countries is the poor integration of these development goals into national and sub-national development plan.

He noted that failure of most countries to consciously localize the MDGs is a major concern towards achieving the full potential and goals of MDGs, stressing that, ultimately, development takes place in local communities and not in national capitals.

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