Accra, Oct. 28, GNA - Mr. Clement Kofi Humado, Chairman of the Parliamentary Select Committee on Poverty Reduction on Wednesday, stressed the need for the country to focus on the implementation of pro-poor programmes to reduce poverty.

He said the focus should be in basic education, primary health, small holder agriculture, rural electrification, water and sanitation. Mr. Humado made the call at the launch of this year's International Day of Stand Up and Take Action Against Poverty in Accra.

He called on the Management of the Millennium Development Authority, Northern Rural Growth Project and Urban Poverty Reduction Project, to ensure the implementation of the projects in the savannah zone of the North and the South to contribute to poverty reduction.

Mr Humado noted that available records from the World Bank and International Monetary Fund had predicted that about 500,000 people would become poor in Ghana by 2010.

He said the country's poverty level had increased due to the global economic recession which had resulted in increased food prices, low remittances from donors and relations outside the country. Ms Kyerewa Akua Asamoah, Programme Officer at the Millennium Development Goals and Global Coalition Against Poverty Secretariat, said the day would be enhanced through awareness creation by deprived children, women and peasant farmers to make demands for poverty to be consistently addressed.

Ms Asamoah said globally 173,045,325 have been mobilised from 131 countries to participate in this year's campaign.

Reverend Albert Kwabi, National Co-ordinator of the Millennium Development Goals said the goals were part of the national development agenda and citizens should be involved in efforts towards their attainment. Rev. Fred Degbe, Secretary-General of Christian Council of Ghana noted that the metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies are instituted to help alleviate poverty.