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Gambia News : Gambia's poverty level is 58% - Report
The level of poverty in the Gambia, based on per capita consumption,
the head counts index (the percentage of poor people), accounts for 58
per cent, according to the 2003 Household Poverty Survey.
Reducing this rising poverty level continues to be a major challenge for the government.
The
statistics of the report, presented here Monday, gave the poverty gap
as 25.1 per cent whilst the poverty severity accounts for about 13.9
per cent.
Compared to previous statistics on poverty, it is
observed that poverty level have flunctuated from 60 per cent in 1992,
63 per cent in 1998 to 58 per cent in 2003.
Director of the
National Planning Commission Alieu Ngum said poverty reduction strategy
plan (PRSP II) indicated that 68 per cent of rural population and 40
per cent of urban population lives in poverty.
It outlined that
in rural areas, raising incomes of the poor would entail significant
investment in agriculture, supportive infrastructure, agricultural
inputs and agricultural extension, health, education, employment and
infrastructure, while the raising of income for urban areas are
centered on creating jobs, addressing health issues and the provision
of energy.
According to him, for the pillars of intervention,
PRSP II aimed at creating an enabling policy environment to promote
growth and poverty reduction, to enhance the capacity and output of
productive sectors, agriculture, fisheries, industry, trade and
tourism, with emphasis on productive capacities of poor and vulnerable
populations.
“It also aims at improving coverage of the basic
social services and social prot ection needs of the poor and
vulnerable, to enhance governance systems and build the capacity of
local communities and civil society organisations (CSOs) to play an
active role in economic growth and poverty reduction and also
mainstream poverty related cross-cutting issues into poverty reduction.
The
approved copy of the PRSP II also highlighted the budgetary aspect as
it reads; the overall cost of the programme is estimated at US$ 754
million, of which government could commit up to 30 per cent of US$ 335
million, amounting to US$ 100.5 million, based on revenue projections
after debt services.” he stated.
He noted that donor commitments
for PRSP II (2007-11) so far, amounts to US$ 174 million and therefore
Gambia will need up to US$ 479.9 million to fill the financial gap.
“The
document further stated that with the availability of Highly Indebted
Poor Countries' (HIPC) resources estimated at US$ 170 million over the
five-year period, the finance gap will now be US$ 310 million for the
entire period of PRSP II and on average; the gap is about US$62 million
per year,” he explained.
5683 times read
- poverty is on the rise yet the Government is not doin much for the youth Employment,the youth future are threathen in the Gambia,Because jammeh dont have a vision for the future,
and also the babylon are selfish the dont wana share there wealth,they always wana see african people dying in poverty,this is gonna cause a revolution,,sucking the blood of the poor people living dem wit no options
(Posted on April 26, 2009, 2:40 AM lilll)
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