Accra, Oct. 20, GNA - The Social Enterprise Development (SEND) Foundation, a civil society organization (CSO), and the Christian Council of Ghana on Friday re-launched a campaign to monitor and advocate efforts to implement the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) to eradicate poverty in Ghana but some participating districts in the programme have differed with the theme.

The theme for the annual assessment programme is "Using MDGs to Eradicate Poverty" but Mr Solomon Fordjour, District Chief Executives of Kwahu District, one of the signatories to the pact with SEND to work together on the programme, said eradication was not possible. "Poverty has been with us since the time of Adam and it will always be with us. We can only reduce it but we cannot eradicate it." He said he was, however, happy that the Government was committed to reducing poverty by making efforts to eradicate extreme hunger through programmes such as the NEPAD School Feeding Project.

Mr Fordjour mentioned the capitation grant, the establishment of a Women's Ministry, the take off of the National Health Insurance Scheme and the campaign against filth as part of the efforts to achieve the MDGs.

The SEND Foundation together with other CSOs launched a campaign to educate the Ghanaian public and monitor the goals after it held an international workshop supported by the United Nations MDGs Secretariat in 2004.

The campaign aimed to create awareness in the broader Ghanaian public; promote participatory monitoring and evaluation of each of the eight MDGs; organise MDG week each year and strengthen the capacity of SEND Foundation and the Christian Council to serve as effective Technical and National Secretariats, respectively, for the campaign. The campaign objectives stemmed from the realization that knowledge and information about the MDGs among Ghanaians was low and that they were unlikely to make reasonable demand and contributions on the Government to deliver.

The Foundation and other CSOs have, therefore, identified three of the poorest districts namely Bongo, Afram Plains and the Komenda-Edina-Eguafo-Abirim Districts for a pilot programme under which they would monitor the implementation of MDGs projects such as the sourcing and utilization of funds.

A national monitoring exercise would also be undertaken. The results would be put together with that from the three Districts and made known annually. The Foundation would also source funds to educate DCEs on the MDGs and how to mainstream them to achieve success and advocate Government to commit itself to the goals where necessary. Mr Siapha Kamara, Chief Executive Officer of SEND Foundation, said Ghana was among the few countries, which were likely to attain the MDGs if she continued to pursue efforts to grow democratic and good governance environment; improve macro-economic stability with favourable indices such as the budget deficit; inflation and interest rates. He said the country was also enjoying favourable support from the donor community such as the recently signed Millennium Challenge Account and had made efforts to reform her public sector but there was the need for civil society to contribute to the expected success by putting the Government on its toes and educating the public. Civil society is expected to monitor whether the Government was investing resources in the MDGs or whether more people were going to bed with food in their stomach, he said.

Mr Kamara urged the media to support the programme because they had the tool to help to educate the public and also to put the Government on its toes.

The Reverend Dr Robert Aboagye Mensah, Presiding Bishop of the Methodist Church, said even though the Government and the donor communities had a role to play in the achievement of the MDGs, the public had a duty to protect the rivers and other natural resources as enshrined in the MDGs.

He also cautioned that while promoting the education of the girls, it was important to make sure that the boy remained in school so that the balance would not tilt. Dr Aboagye Mensah re-launched the campaign by SEND to promote the implementation of the MDGs and in addition unveiled the campaign logo. More than a 100 CSOs including Actionaid Ghana; The Ghana National Education Campaign Coalition; Women in Law and Development in Africa and the Alliance for Reproductive Health Rights are participating in the programme at various levels. The MDGs aim to eradicate extreme hunger and poverty; achieve universal primary education; promote gender equality and empower women; reduce child mortality and improve maternal health. They are also to combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases; ensure environmental sustainability and develop a global partnership for development. 20 Oct. 06