Begging is a Ghanaian culture not economic hardship – Dr Gariba

Senior Policy Coordinator at the Office of the President Dr Sulley Gariba has said that government’s policies targeted at the poor are achieving the goals for which they were implemented.

He noted that it is by Ghanaian culture that “paupers” seem to be all over the streets.

Speaking on TV3’s Agenda, Dr Gariba pointed out that progress chalked at alleviating poverty in the country is being manifested on the coastal belt of Ghana.

“It is [left with] finding quantum resources to open up the economy,” he asserted.

“These programmes generally work,” he stressed.

He said government is also opening up "the poverty targeted programmes into more social intervention programmes".

He admitted that government's challenge is meeting the Millennium Development Goals of Infant Mortality and Maternal Health.

Dr William Ahadzi, the Executive Secretary of the National Identification Authority and a Policy Analyst, conceded that “any policies may have challenges but that doesn’t mean they don’t achieve results.” “They are having an impact,” he emphasized.