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Ghana likely to meet MDG targets by 2015, says Sachs
Ghana is said to be one of the strong performers in Africa on
the United Nations Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
According to the former Director of the UN Millennium Project
which developed the MDGs, Professor Jeffrey Sachs, Ghana is
proving to be one of the strongest performers on the MDGs in
Africa.
Mr Sachs was the director of the UN project from 2002 to 2006
and now Special Advisor to United Nations Secretary-General Ban
Ki-moon on the MDGs. Nigeria, the 7th largest producer of oil in
Africa and most populous country in the continent is not on the
list of African countries that are likely to attain the MDGs,
according to the World Bank, in a recent interaction.
In an interview with The Christian Science Monitor during his
recent visit to the country, Professor Sachs who is also the
director of the Earth Institute at Columbia University, said
unlike some of its African counterparts, Ghana is likely to
fulfill the eight internationally sanctioned objectives of the
MDGs by the 2015 deadline.
The MDGs are set to reduce extreme poverty, hunger and disease
by the deadline.
“Ghana is on track to achieve most, if not all, of the
Millennium Development Goals. It is one of the strongest
performers in Africa on the MDGs because it has been investing
for a long time in health and education, gender equality, and it
has made a lot of progress. But there are parts of Ghana that
are extremely poor and really need a lot of accelerated
investments” Sachs told The Christian Science Monitor.
During his 6-day visit, the development economist examined the
poverty reduction strategies and progress on the MDGs in Ghana
as well as meeting with related-stakeholders of the project.
But many are sceptical about Ghana’s chances of meeting all the
targets before the deadline.
Such is UK-based group Plan International which is saying the
country is unlikely to achieve the MDG on maternal and infant
mortaltiy despite significance reduction on the mortality rates.
According to its Ghana Country Director Mr Prem Shukla, the
country could achieve the targets if effective maternal and
child survival interventions were increased.
He said the maternal mortality rate per 100,000 live births in
the country remained high above expectation due to postpartum,
hemorrhage, hypertensive, disease and unsafe abortion, leading
to maternal death.
GBN/GNA
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