New data collected during lockdown shows 60% of poor in Accra are homeless

On Sep 3, 2020

The Ghana National Household Registry (GNHR) data on about 80,000 poor and vulnerable persons in the Greater Accra region during the lockdown has shown that more than 60 per cent were homeless.

The government imposed a lockdown on the Greater Accra and Kumasi regions in April this year to control the spread of the coronavirus pandemic.

Consequently, the Ghana National Household Registry (GNHR), a unit of the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection (MoGCSP), conducted a rapid data collection exercise on the poor and vulnerable to compile comprehensive, robust and reliable data for relief services during the period.

He said the compilation of such register involved the collection of information on the composition of socio-economic characteristics of households, adding that, upon completion it would serve as a database for the selection of beneficiaries for all social protection programmes in Ghana.

The data, presented by Dr Prosper Laari, National Coordinator, Ghana National Household Registry showed that 62 per cent of the approximately 80,000 poor and vulnerable persons were female with about 50 per cent aged between 18 and 39 while about 20 per cent were aged between 40 and 59; and 10 per cent aged 60+; and the remaining under 18 years.

“Over 60 per cent of vulnerable individuals sleep in kiosks, containers, markets, uncompleted structures, on the streets, bus or lorry stations, chop bars or drinking spots, and at the beaches, exposed to natural hazards. Only very few people sleep in compound houses, mostly in overcrowded rooms”, the report added.

The report showed that 2,630 persons live with disability and 39,199 are migrants, that is, individuals from other regions of the country.

The homeless with their children constitute 50, 266. Head porters, popularly known as Kayayes comprise 6,012, majority of whom are female and 1,033 were foreign nationals (mostly from neighbouring countries).

Children respondents, whose replies were collected from their parents, guardians or recognised adults, were grouped together as follows: 134 orphans; 817 children with no guardians, represent 6.9 per cent of children aged less than 15; and 1, 736 children not in school, represent 19.3 per cent of children aged 4 to 15.

Out of the 80,000 vulnerable individuals captured, about 50 per cent, that is 34, 380, had no formal education, another 25 per cent, 19, 280, had only primary education.

The remaining 25 per cent had at least JHS/JSS education.

Also, among the 9, 012 children of school going age (i. e. 4 to 15 years), the percentage of males and females in school was 84 per cent and 78 per cent respectively.

Also, the remaining who were not currently enrolled in school were mostly 64 per cent female. Reasons for which some of the children were not in school were either because they were homeless, or they were orphans or had no guardians.

The report highlighted that, out of a total of 46, 060 vulnerable individuals, persons expected to have a source of livelihood, 35 per cent had no source of livelihood.

The reasons for absence of livelihood include old age (1,080), temporary layoff (856), disability (103) or illness (450).

Of the vulnerable individuals engaged in some livelihood activities, over 40% were petty traders or hawkers, about 5,000 (16.5 per cent) were Kayayes or head potters, about 10 per cent were drivers or drivers’ mate, scrap collectors, truck pushers, shoeshine boys, shop assistants and commercial sex workers.

The findings also indicate that majority (58.2 per cent) of the individuals with no source of livelihood were homeless. Also, 68.4 per cent of these individuals with no source of livelihood were female. Again, 73 per cent of individuals with no sources of livelihood had dependents/children.

Out of a total of 2, 630 individuals with disability, 70 per cent had no source of livelihood, 41 per cent homeless, 34 per cent from other parts of the country, 45 per cent elderly, 58 per cent were female and 12 per cent were orphans (not mutually exclusive).

The prevalent disability type was physical disability (50 per cent), 20 per cent visual impaired or blind and the remaining without any form of disability.

The data showed that over 50,000 of the vulnerable individuals aged 18 and above owned a mobile phone, more than half of this had registered for mobile money services.

Also, less than 50 per cent of the vulnerable individuals did not have access to National Health Insurance.

The rapid data collection exercise was funded by the World Bank and DFID and commissioned by the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection.

Source: GNA