OUTLINE:

Economic and Social Development Issues in Ghana: Establish the linkages between the MDGs

and SDGs.

- Define Economic and Social Development

- Give a background on Ghana’s Economic and Social Development Issues

- Define MDGs and the SDGs

- Establish the linkages

- Establish how our performance on the MDGs reflect on our economics and social

development.

Definiton for Economic Development

Economic development is the development of economic wealth of countries, regions or

communities for the well-being of their inhabitants. From a policy perspective, economic

development can be defined as efforts that seek to improve the economic well-being and quality

of life for a community by creating and/or retaining jobs and supporting or growing incomes and

the tax base.

Source: http://www.svbic.com/node/24
Definition for Social Development

Social development is about putting people at the centre of development.This means a

commitment that development processes need to benefit people, particularly but not only the

poor, but also a recognition that people, and the way they interact in groups and society, and the

norms that facilitates such interaction, shape development processes.

Source: http://www.indsocdev.org/defining-social-

development.htmlhttp://www.indsocdev.org/defining-social-development.html

Economic and Social Development Issues in Ghana

Ghana’s GDP growth does not match its economic growth because there is decline of the overall

capital stock; loss of production function, factors of production, decline in human capital stock

and degradation of natural resources and the environment.

Why?

Effective and sustainable development requires the full participation of the citizens. This process

should be aided and facilitated by strong socio-political institutions and strong political

leadership.

The relationship between GDP and Ghana’s economic growth should be seen from this example.

Consider two countries A and B. If country A manufactures and exports one hundred vehicles or

a specified equipment to country B within a defined period, say every one year, then country A
increases its GDP through its production function and factors of production while country B

increases its GDP through expenditure on goods and factors of production of country A.

If country B engages contractors and engineers from country A to build bridges, roads and dams

then country B is increasing its GDP through expenditure while country A is increasing its GDP

through its production function, factors of production and its human capital.

There is loss of production function, factors of production and a decline of the human capital

stock of country B.

These will cause country B’s productive base to shrink while its GDP is growing but country A’s

productive base will expand in response to its GDP growth.

A growth in GDP that causes a shrink in an economy’s productive base will ultimately cause the

GDP and economic growth to reverse in sign and ultimately worsen inequality and poverty. For

instance, China’s GDP growth is based mainly on industrial outputs (whether consumed or

exported) and therefore her GDP matches her economic growth.

Why is Ghana Poor after years of massive investment ?

Ghana’s GDP growth, therefore, does not lead to economic growth, rather a shrink in the

economy’s productive base. This explains why despite years of massive investment in

development programmes and projects the country remains poor. An economy’s productive base
is made up of its institutions and its capital stock. The GDP also does not take into consideration

natural resource depletion and degradation, and environmental degradation.

A nation’s capital stock is made up of: 1) human capital stock, 2) physical capital stock

(machines, factories, roads, bridges, buildings and all the infrastructure, including its capacity to

produce new things or generate new outputs or its production function, 3) savings, 4) publicly

available (accumulated) knowledge (in science and technology) brought about by expenditure in

research and development, and 5) the natural capital stock (minerals, oil and natural gas,

fisheries, salt, wildlife, forests, woodlands, farmlands, soil resources, wetlands, streams, rivers

and other water sources, coastal waters, or more generally, the ecosystem).

The social welfare indicators provide measures of various dimensions of social welfare function

or socio-economic well-being of citizens. They reflect the quality of life enjoyed by the citizens.

These include decent employment, proportion of the economically active population that are

unemployed, income per person (or income per capita), decent housing, consumption of food,

(food supplies in terms of calories available per person in relation to calorific requirements),

personal consumption as a percentage of national income, access to such basic needs like water,

electricity, telephone (land line), healthcare services and other infrastructure services, life

expectancy at birth, infant mortality and maternal mortality, births attended by skilled health

personnel (doctors and nurses), access to education (in clean and decent environment), literacy

level, information, share in scientific knowledge, sanitation infrastructure and the environment.
Five out the eight MDG’s (Goals 1-5) derive directly from social welfare indicators. Another

important measure of human well-being is the Human Development Index (HDI) which ranks

the overall well-being of the citizens of all countries.

Increasing the factors of production and human capital stock.

 Education and training, and improved healthcare increase a nation’s human capital stock.

Illiteracy, low level of skills and poor healthcare leads to decline in human capital stock.

 Rural industrialisation cannot succeed without adequate rural water supply and, therefore,

the need to protect the nation’s streams and rivers from pollution and silting.

However, the uncontrolled expansion of cities and towns makes effective and efficient

supply of abundant and cheap water almost impossible. This calls for changes in housing

delivery from single storey buildings spread over large areas to high rise apartments

consuming less space.


 Defining the MDGs

The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) are eight goals with measurable targets and clear

deadlines for improving the lives of the world's poorest people. To meet these goals and

eradicate poverty, leaders of 189 countries signed the historic millennium declaration at the

United Nations Millennium Summit in 2000. At that time, eight goals that range from providing

universal primary education to avoiding child and maternal mortality were set with a target

achievement date of 2015.

http://www.mdgfund.org/node/922

21-10-17

The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) for 2000-2015

1. Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger

2. Achieve universal primary education

3. Promote gender equality and empower women

4. Reduce child mortality

5. Improve maternal health

6. Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases

7. Ensure environmental sustainability

8. Develop a global partnership for development

Defining the SDGs

 The 17 Sustainable Development Goals and 169 targets which we are announcing today

demonstrate the scale and ambition of this new universal Agenda. They seek to build on the

Millennium Development Goals and complete what these did not achieve. They seek to realize

the human rights of all and to achieve gender equality and the empowerment of all women and

girls. They are integrated and indivisible and balance the three dimensions of sustainable

development: the economic, social and environmental.

The Goals and targets will stimulate action over the next fifteen years in areas of critical

importance for humanity and the plane

Draft Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for 2016-2030

1. End poverty in all its forms everywhere

2. End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition, and promote sustainable agriculture

3. Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages

4. Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote life-long learning opportunities for

all

5. Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls

6. Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all

7. Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable, and modern energy for all

8. Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment

and decent work for all

9. Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster

innovation
10. Reduce inequality within and among countries

11. Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable

12. Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns

13. Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts

14. Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development

15. Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage

forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss

16. Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice

for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels

17. Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the global partnership for sustainable

development

LINKAGES

MDGs and SDGS.

- MDGs 1 is linked to SDGs 1,2 and 8

- MDGs 2 is linked to SDGs 4

- MDGs 3 is linked to SDGs 5

- MDGs 4,5,6 is linked to SDGs 3

- MDGs 7 is linked to SDGs 6,7,11,13,14 and 15

- MDGs 8 is linked to SDGs 17

Establish how our performance on the MDGs reflect on our economics and social development.

- MDGs 1 Ghana’s Progress

 - Ghana was one of the few sub-Saharan Africa countries to meet the MDG 1 target of

halving extreme poverty. The proportion of its population living below the poverty line of

US$1.25 a day declined from 51.7% to 28.5% between 1991 and 2006, and the poverty

level was estimated to be 24% in 2012/13.

- There remain, however, significant disparities in poverty levels between social groups,

between urban and rural areas, and between the northern and southern regions, while

rising income inequality has the potential to undermine gains in poverty reduction. Ghana

is also susceptible to environmental, social, financial and health-related shocks that could

hinder growth, reduce food security and increase poverty.

Images:

Illustrating the two points above.

- A chart showing Ghana halving extreme poverty

- Pictures of infrastructure between the northern and southern parts of Ghana.

MDGs 2

Progress

Education is not only every child’s right, it is also one of the main drivers of sustainable and

inclusive development. Since 2000, Ghana has contributed substantially to the considerable

progress that has been made in developing countries towards universal primary education. In

Ghana today:

 gross and net enrolment rates at primary level stand at 100% and 90% respectively;

 gender parity has been achieved in enrolment at primary level;

  the proportion of children successfully completing primary education has steadily

increased, reaching 90% in 2013/14;

 there is now universal access to pre-primary education, whereas in 1999 the pre-primary

enrolment rate was only 47%; and

 youth literacy rates have moved beyond the SubSaharan regional averages and are now

on a par with other middle-income countries around the world. Nearly 86% of 15–24

year-olds are now literate in Ghana.

However what is the reality?

- Free SHS

- The standard of education in Ghana

Images:

Graph for the progress

Pictures/Videos that reflect the actual state on the ground (What is the reality)?

MDGs 3

A central agency of state for the advancement of women:

The Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection has been recognized as one of eight

central management agencies of state, with the remit to ensure the mainstreaming of gender

concerns in all ministries, departments and agencies.

Gender legislation and policies:

The Government has approved a new National Gender Policy, which has received cabinet’s

approval in August 2015, and is also working on affirmative action and other gender equality

legislation and policies for the development of opportunities for women and girls, namely: the

Affirmative Action Bill, which is yet to receive cabinet’s approval and subsequent adoption by

parliament by the end of 2016; the child and family welfare policy, which was approved by

cabinet in February 2015; and the justice for children policy, which is currently awaiting

approval from cabinet.

Women in decision-making:

Notwithstanding the low proportion of women in Parliament, women have been appointed to

positions at the highest decision-making levels, including among others Minister of Foreign

Affairs, Minister of Justice and, most recently, Chairperson of Ghana’s Electoral Commission.

Data and budgeting:

A general improvement in the systematic compilation of data disaggregated by sex, and the

expansion of gender-responsive budgeting, which ensures that budget in the public and private

sector is set aside for gender related interventions, means that appropriate resources have been

allocated to gender equality programmes.

Gender parity in education:

The Gender Parity Index (GPI) target was set between 0.97 and 1.03 in 2000. Although the goal

of reaching gender parity in primary enrolment by 2005 was missed, Ghana did achieve it in

2014. At kindergarten level the GPI was 1.04 in 2014/2015. At junior high school level, though

parity is yet to be achieved, the GPI rose from 0.95 to 0.96 in 2014/15. Furthermore, the country

has made good progress towards achieving gender parity at senior high school level where GPI

and share of female enrolment have both increased, and where the completion rate for female

students rose sharply from 28% to 38% between 2012/13 and 2013/14. The percentage of

females enrolled in further and higher education institutions has also risen in recent years: in

2012/13, 33.6% of public university students, 33.1% of polytechnic students and 43.3% of

college students were female.