Provide accurate, regular information to fight poverty - Dr Letsa urges media

The Volta Regional Minister, Dr Archibald Yao Letsa, has reminded the media of their critical role in providing accurate data to address the specific development needs of communities.

He has, therefore, entreated the media to highlight the Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) findings of the Ghana Statistical Service to address poverty in the region. Dr Letsa was speaking at the opening of a two-day training programme on the MPI report and Statsbank of the Ghana Statistical Service in Ho last Tuesday for 109 Municipal and District Chief Executives, District Coordinating Directors, District Statisticians, and staff of the Ghana Statistical Service.

The Statsbank is an online platform to empower decision-makers, academics, media and users of statistical products with a robust repository of cross-sector statistical data. Still on the importance of data, Dr Letsa cited the Volta Region and said although it had made significant strides in development from its rich cultural heritage and agricultural potential, the MPI report indicated critical challenges that still needed to be addressed to ensure inclusive and sustainable growth.

He maintained the MPI report provided a roadmap for interventions, highlighting priority areas that required immediate and focused action. For that matter, the media must be familiar with the report at all times, the regional minister added.

MDCEs

He called on municipal and district chief executives(MDCEs) as well as coordinating directors to translate the findings of the report into actionable policies, in line with their status as leaders at the forefront of implementing strategies that will alleviate the multidimensional poverty.

Dr Letsa explained that an accurate interpretation of the MPI report would enable policymakers to craft evidence-based policies tailored to the unique context of each municipality or district.

He commended the Ghana Statistical Service for collecting and analysing data to understand poverty in detail. “The comprehensive MPI report you have produced is an invaluable tool that will guide our policymaking and intervention strategies, and the development of the Statsbank is a testament to your hard work,” Dr Letsa said.

Metric-measure

The Deputy Director of Finance of the Ghana Statistical Service, William A. Addy, said the MPR identified those who were most deprived, extending beyond traditional metric-measures of poverty.

He said it also served as a strategic tool for policymaking, and baseline data for measuring progress towards eliminating poverty, in all forms everywhere. “As a nation, the elimination of poverty would only be possible when the extent and nature of deprivation for different groups of the population are known,” Mr Addy pointed out.

Highlights of the programme included the incidence of MPI, the intensity of MPI, deprivation in 13 indicators and contribution to multidimensional poverty.