| Abstract: Ghana ' s population of 18.9 million accounts for 2.9 percent of Sub-Saharan Africa total population. Life expectancy is approximately 60 years while the adult HIV/AIDS prevalence (15-49 years) rate stands at about 4 percent. The government just published the Ghana Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper, whose main objective is to reduce poverty and improve the welfare of Ghanaians. The poverty reduction strategy emphasizes economic growth, integrated rural development, employment expansion, and improved access to social amenities, such as education, health care, water, and sanitation. Based on the Ghana Living Standards Survey (GLSS) IV, overall poverty was estimated at less than 40 percent in 1998. This, however, masks regional differences. Rural poverty was estimated at almost 50 percent, while urban poverty was estimated at 19 percent |
