Poverty trends in Ghana in the 1990s

This report describes poverty trends in Ghana during the 1990s. The setting is one of a relatively buoyant economy, which has achieved positive per capita economic growth rates during the decade. GDP is estimated to have grown on average by 4.3 percent per annum during the 1992-1998 period. To what extent have Ghanaian households and communities benefited from this growth? Which groups have benefited most? Have the lives of poor Ghanaians improved as a result? What has been the impact of recent economic growth on poverty in the country? This report focuses on three dimensions of poverty: consumption poverty; lack of access to services and limited human development. It brings to the policy debate in Ghana the results of the fourth round of the Ghana Living Standards Survey (GLSS), which was conducted by the Ghana Statistical Service (GSS) over the period April 1998 – March 1999. This is a nationally representative survey, covering a wide range of household characteristics and behaviour. The report compares GLSS data from the 1998/1999 survey with the previous round in 1991/1992, which provides an
opportunity to trace trends in household well-being over the decade.

(authors abstract, part of introduction)