Poverty reduction: Half of poor Ghanaians moved to higher well-being, satisfaction — Dr Mensah-Abrampa

Dr. Esseim Mensah Aborampa, Director General of the National Development Planning Commission

The number of poor people in Ghana has reduced by half over the past 20 years, according to the head of the country's development planning body.

Dr. Esseim Mensah-Abrampa, Director-General of the National Development Planning Commission (NDPC), said Ghana has made significant progress in alleviating poverty.

"Definitely, we cannot live on the same income bracket which means that definitely there are some people who are poor but there is a process which has gone on for a very long time within twenty years, we have been able to half that, it means we have been able to move half of the people who are poor right into a higher range of wellbeing and satisfaction," he stated in an interview on Accra-based TV3’s Hot Issues.

Dr. Mensah-Abrampa was responding to questions about Ghana's economic status.

While some view Ghana as poor, he classified the nation as a lower-middle income country based on global measures.

"So it tells you that if you are going by these five graduations we are right in the middle," he explained.

The halving of Ghana's poverty levels over two decades, according to the NDPC director, demonstrates the country's steady progress in enhancing populations' standards of living.

However, more work remains to lift all Ghanaians out of poverty and into higher levels of well-being and satisfaction, he implied.