The Majority in Parliament has called for urgent and targeted interventions to address growing inequalities in multidimensional poverty levels across Ghana’s districts, following the release of new district-level poverty rankings by the Ghana Statistical Service (GSS).
Speaking at the launch of the District-Level Multidimensional Poverty Incidence and Rankings Factsheets on Monday, May 18, 2026, Chairman of Parliament’s Finance Committee, Isaac Adongo, delivering remarks on behalf of Majority Leader Mahama Ayariga, said the report offers “one of the most important district-level evidence tools for governance and development planning in recent years.”
According to him, the findings provide a clearer picture of deprivation across the country and should guide national development decisions.
“The multidimensional poverty findings being released today move us beyond assumptions and anecdotes. They provide hard evidence about where deprivation exists, how severe it is, and how it differs from one district to another,” he said.
The report, which covers the period from 2021 to 2025, revealed that 250 out of Ghana’s 261 districts recorded reductions in multidimensional poverty levels.
Mr Adongo described the development as “significant progress,” attributing it to “targeted interventions, infrastructure investments, education expansion, healthcare access, and social programmes” implemented across various parts of the country.
However, he warned that stark disparities remain between districts.
“Yunyoo Nasuan District recorded the highest multidimensional poverty incidence in 2025 at 51.6 percent whilst Ayawaso North Municipal recorded the lowest at 5.5 percent. This wide gap reminds us that development outcomes are still highly unequal across districts,” he stated.
He further disclosed that the six districts with the highest poverty incidence in 2025 were all located in the North East Region, describing the trend as “a call for targeted national attention and coordinated policy action.”
The Majority Leader’s statement also highlighted districts that recorded major improvements in poverty reduction.
“Wa West reduced multidimensional poverty from 61.9 percent in 2021 to 24.0 percent in 2025. Sekyere Afram Plains reduced poverty from 50.5 percent to 13.5 percent over the same period. These are extraordinary improvements,” the statement noted.
According to him, the figures demonstrate that “with the right policies, investments, and leadership, districts can change their development trajectory significantly.”
Mr Adongo stressed that poverty should not be measured solely by income levels, but also by access to essential social services and opportunities.
“Poverty is also about whether children can stay in school, whether families can access healthcare, whether communities have clean water, decent housing, electricity, sanitation, jobs, and opportunities,” he said.
He urged policymakers and stakeholders not to reduce the findings to mere district rankings.
“The purpose is not to label districts. The purpose is to guide action,” he emphasised, adding that districts with high poverty levels “should receive greater support, not stigma.”
He also called on Parliament, Ministries, Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs), development partners, civil society organisations, and the private sector to use the findings to shape planning and budget allocation.
“We must move from data to action. We must move from broad national averages to district-level targeting. We must align budgets more closely with evidence,” he stated.
