Ghanaians satisfied with govt's macro economic policies

Accra, June 24, GNA - With barely six months to Election 2008, about 50 per cent of urban residents in Ghana have expressed satisfaction with Ghana's macro economy under the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP), Ghana Centre for Democratic Development (CDD) revealed on Monday.

Presenting the 2008 Afrobarometer report dubbed "Round 4" in Accra, Professor Emmanuel Gyimah-Boadi, Executive Director of CDD Ghana, said a higher proportion of rural dwellers (58 per cent) thought the macro economic policies had worsen their living standards.

Similarly, close to half of urban residents (47 per cent) compared with 39 per cent of rural residents were satisfied with their personal living standards whilst 56 per cent said economic conditions in Ghana were better or much better than they were a year ago (2007).

The Afrobarometer survey also indicated that about 69 per cent of Ghanaians believed that the macro economic conditions in Ghana would be better or much better in future.

"Optimism in economic conditions is high, 73 per cent believe their personal living standards would be better or much better in future. However, a sense of relative economic deprivation appears to prevail among Ghanaians," the survey revealed.

The survey indicated that 39 per cent of Ghanaians said their living standards were relatively better, but close to one-third (30 per cent) thought their living standards were worse.

In 2005, 39 per cent perceived relative economic deprivation; 31 per cent perceived less political influence and 17 per cent perceived unfair treatment of their ethnic groups.

Positive popular assessment of personal living standards, also increased by 17 percentage points, according to the survey.

On regional variations in feelings of relative economic deprivation, the survey indicated that only a minority of residents in some regions felt they were economically better off compared to other Ghanaians.

Only 28 per cent of residents of in the Upper West Region, 29 per cent in Volta, 30 per cent in Upper East and 31 per cent in the Northern Region said their living standards were better or much better than other Ghanaians.

"This underscores a growing sense of inequality in some regions

in Ghana, despite overall improvement in economic conditions," the report said.

The survey indicated that about 57 per cent of Ghanaians identified themselves equally as Ghanaians in ethnic terms with only ten per cent considering themselves in exclusively national terms.

The report said a large minority of about 30 per cent viewed themselves in largely or only ethnic terms, while the proportion of Ghanaians who felt only or more Ghanaians had dropped by 29 percentage points, those who felt only or more ethnic had increased by 12 percentage points.

Majority of respondents in Ashanti Region (57 per cent) and Eastern Region (52 per cent) also believed that macroeconomic conditions were fairly good or very good.

A little over 37 per cent in 2008 compared to 54 per cent in 2002 reported having gone without medical care at least once in the last 12 months.

Similarly, the proportion of Ghanaians who reported having gone

without food (40 per cent), clean water (42 per cent) and cash

income (69 per cent) in 2002 had declined to 31 per cent, 36 per cent

and 53 per cent respectively in 2008. However, the proportion of Ghanaians who reported shortages of

cash income remained in the majority 53 per cent. In 2008, 38 per cent of rural dwellers compared with 25 per cent

of urban dwellers reported having gone without medical care in the

last 12 months. Despite the positive economic outlook among Ghanaians, 34 per

cent said the cost of reforming the economy were too high and that

government should abandon the current economic reform policies. About 54 per cent continued to hold the view that government's

economic policies had hurt most people. However, this represented a significant decline from 67 per cent

recorded in 2005 and was the lowest score on the economy since

1999.