According to them, such programmes were key in tackling poverty and enabling households to improve upon their livelihoods.

The panellists included Prof. Bernardin Senadza of the Depart­ment of Economics, University of Ghana; Dr Dede W. Gafa, lecturer at the African School of Econom­ics, Benin Campus, and Louis S. Hodey, Researcher, Institute of Development Studies, University of Sussex, United Kingdom (UK).

Organised in Accra by the Department of Economics, University of Ghana yesterday, the forum was on the theme “Poverty dynamics in Ghana.”

In addressing poverty, Prof. Sen­adza urged that existing flagship

 programmes such as Planting for Food and Jobs and the National Entrepreneurship and Innovation initiatives should be complement­ed by a multifaceted, sustainable rural and infrastructure develop­ment programmes, particularly in northern Ghana.

He explained that, pro-poor policies and programmes which seeks to ensure equal access to education and employment oppor­tunities in the country, including the Free SHS should be revised to target the most vulnerable groups.

“These groups include poor people residing in rural locations and northern Ghana, especial­ly persons from disadvantaged backgrounds, the unemployed and those in vulnerable employment,” Prof. Senadza stated.

On his part, Dr Gafa noted that, balanced investments to bridge infrastructure gap in northern and southern Ghana was necessary to accompany efforts at ensuring productivity growth in the agricul­ture and informal sectors.

He said, social programmes in the country should be designed with a focus on building resil­ience of vulnerable households to shocks.

Dr Gafa said that social spending by the government must ensure the right balance between fiscal sustainability and reaching households who were below the poverty line.

“The country needs to be intentional about providing more equal access and opportunities for individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds in terms of educa­tion and employment,” she added.

Prof. Hodey said rural dwell­ers who were mostly engaged in traditional farming practices and low-productivity informal sectors were vulnerable to various shocks such as climate issues and job loss­es, a situation which was further compounded by the outbreak of COVID-19.

He stated that, although the government had implemented some social programmes such as the Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP), inequal­ities had increased over time and remained entrenched across the population.

“The categories of people who face the greatest challenge to escaping poverty are those in rural areas and those that have disadvantaged social backgrounds, hence the need for tailor-made measures to help them out of poverty,” he added.