Ghana reached middle-income status in 2011, but poverty exceeds half the people in two regions

Background

The World Bank records that Ghana has achieved significant economic and social progress over three decades. It attained middle-income status in 2011. Yet more than 20 per cent of the population continue to experience poverty. Poverty rates exceed 50 per cent in the Northern and Savannah regions. The World Bank also notes that Ghana has taken major strides towards democracy under a multi-party system, with an independent judiciary that wins public trust. The gap between the national average and these two regions is the reason the country's safety net programmes are targeted rather than universal.