Special Advisor to UN Boss believes Ghana likely to meet MDG targets by 2015

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.

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, reports the Ghana News Agency January 16, 2012.

By Ekow Quandzie