Statistical Information Needs for MDG Country Report Ghana

1. PARIS21 REGIONAL WORKSHOP FOR WEST AFRICA MEMBER STATESABUJA, 18- 20TH MARCH 2003 STATISTICAL INFORMATION NEEDS TO PREPARE MILLENIUM DEVELOPMENT GOALS (MDG) COUNTRY REPORT GHANA

2. BACKGROUND • GHANA POVERTY REDUCTION STRATEGY (GPRS) The Ghana Poverty Reduction Strategy (GPRS) represents comprehensive policies to support growth and poverty reduction over a three-year period (2002-2004). The government of Ghana aims to create wealth by transforming the nature of the economy to achieve growth, accelerated poverty reduction, and the protection of the vulnerable and excluded within a decentralized, democratic environment;.

3. THEMATIC AREAS GPRS achieved through conscious efforts in 5 Thematic areas, namely, • Economic stability, Production and employment, • Human resource development, • Special programmes • for the Vulnerable and Excluded • Governance

4. DEMAND FOR INFORMATION • OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT • DEVELOPMENT PARTNERS • MDAs • DISTRICT ASSEMBLIES • NDPC • PARLIAMENT • NGOs • CIVIL SOCIETY

5. INSTITUTIONAL ARRANGEMENTS FOR IMPLEMENTATION OF GPRS • National Development Planning Commission • Ministry of Finance • Office of President • Ghana Statistical Service • Ministries, Departments & Agencies • District Assemblies

6. THE ROLE OF GSS IN GPRS Main sources of information for measuring and monitoring poverty • GHANA LIVING STANDARDS SURVEYS (GLSS I-IV) • CORE WELFARE INDICATORS QUESTIONNAIRE (CWIQ) MONITORING SURVEYS • DEMOGRAPHIC AND HEALTH SURVEYS (GDHS I-III) These surveys constitute the Ghana Welfare Measuring System (GWMS) and a strong set of survey instruments

7. GHANA WELFARE MEASURING SYSTEM (GWMS) It provides a wide range of indicators for monitoring poverty outcomes such as: ·   changes in living standards · access, use and satisfaction with basic social services • infant, child and maternal mortality ·   fertility levels and • educational enrolment rates, etc In fact it provides all the information necessary for monitoring the core poverty indicators in the GPRS

8. GWMS(cont.) • The system is needed to provide bench-marks for measuring national policies and programmes. • GWMS is complemented by information derived from the 2000 Ghana population and housing census as well as by participatory and other qualitative information that validate, enrich and interrogate the survey results.

9. MACROECONOMIC INDICATORS GSS also produces a wide range of macro economic indicators that facilitate the monitoring of pro-poor economic growth in Ghana. These include: • · developments in the consumer price indices- inflation rates • ·  real GDP growth by sector • · classification of government expenditure into functional economic and development categories • ·   exports and imports and • ·   other National Income Indicators.

10. POVERTY ANALYSIS • ·  Poverty mapping • ·  Poverty Correlates • ·   SAM based analysis

11. ORGANIZATIONAL NETWORK • NATIONAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE OF PRODUCERS & USERS OF STATISTICS (NACPUS) • SECTORAL STATISTICS WORKING GROUPS (SSWGs)

12. MONITORING AND EVALUATION • POLICY MATRIX • MEDIUM-TERM EXPENDITURE FRAMEWORK (MTEF)

13. GPRS MONITORING INDICATORS • The 52 GPRS core indicators relate to 5 thematic areas: • ·        Macro-Economic stability • ·        Production and Employment • ·        Human Resource Development • ·        Vulnerable and Excluded • ·        Governance

14. MILLENIUM DEVELOPMENT GOALS (MDG)& INDICATORS • Specific indicators (39) were developed by UNDP to monitor progress towards the achievement of the MDG. 13 out of the 39 MDG indicators are covered in the GPRS core indicators list. Additional 14 MDG indicators can be obtained from existing information systems. Thus Ghana will be able to report on 27 out of the 39 indicators. This will be produced in a special annual report, in June each year.

15. SOURCES OF STATISTICAL INFORMATION FOR ASSESSING THE PERFORMANCE OF MDG MDG SOURCE OF SI • Goal 1: eradicate extreme poverty and hunger GLSS, CWIQ • Goal 2: achieve universal primary education GLSS, CWIQ MOE • Goal 3: promote gender equality & empower women GLSS, CWIQ MOE, PARL • Goal 4: reduce child mortality GDHS, MOH • Goal 5: improve maternal health GDHS, MOH • Goal 6: combat HIV/AIDS, malaria & other diseases GDHS, MOH • Goal 7: ensure environmental sustainability GLSS, CWIQ EPA • Goal 8: develop a global partnership for development MOF, NDPC BOG, GSS

16. MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEM (MIS) • PLANINFO –SOFTWARE DEVELOPED TO CAPTURE STATISTICAL INFORMATION ON PROGRAMMES AND PROJECTS • CURRENTLY BEING PILOTED IN 4 DISTRICTS

17. ON-GOING PROGRAMMES OF GWMS SURVEYYEAR • CWIQ II 2003 • MATERNAL MORTALITY STUDY 2003 • GDHS IV 2003/2004 • GLSS V 2003/2004 • CWIQ III 2005

18. DISSEMINATION • WORKSHOPS • PUBLICATIONS • NEWSLETTERS • DISKETTES, CD-ROMS • ETC.

19. LIMITATIONS ·   High turn-over of of skilled staff at GSS • Limited state-of-the art technology/facilities for statistical work • Inadequate funding for statistical programmes • Inadequate skills and capability for detailed poverty analysis

20. ASSISTANCE FROM DEVELOPMENT PARTNERS • DEVELOPING REGIONAL AND DISTRICT DATABASES • TRAINING FOR DISTRICT PLANNING OFFICERS AND STATISTICIANS • DEVELOPING WIDE AREA NETWORK LINKING ALL DISTRICTS • PROVISION OF COMPUTING AND TRANSPORTATION FACILITIES

21. CONCLUSION • Ghana has made great strides through the statistical system to produce indicators needed to monitor outcomes & impacts of the implementation of the GPRS and achievement of the MDG • There is however the need for adequate commitment, support and funding from both government and development partners for the statistical system to ensure its sustainability.

22. MERCI THANK YOU