Country Director of the United Kingdom’s Department for International Development (DFID), Philip Smith, has said the poverty gap between northern and southern Ghana is widening despite the country seeing “record” economic growth and development in the last 12 years.

Mr Smith made the observation when he addressed participants at a ceremony to launch the Poverty Profile of Ghana from (2005 to 2017) by the Ghana Statistical Service (GSS), at the LA Palm Royal Hotel.

“We all know that Ghana is one of the few sub-Saharan countries to achieve the SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals) 1 target of halving extreme poverty between 1991 and 2015. However, even as economic growth in Ghana has accelerated, inequalities persist,” he stated.

Mr Smith further observed that the rising inequality trend is a huge challenge for government and bridging the gap ought to be the main focus of government’s agenda of achieving a ‘Ghana beyond Aid’.

“This new poverty data comes at a critical time not just to establish progress towards the SDGs but also to help inform the focus of Ghana beyond Aid agenda. Let me be clear, the President’s vision for a self-reliance Ghana is inspiring and applauded by the UK and all development partners, but the “Ghana beyond Aid” agenda must address the issue of why despite record economic growth, inequality in is rising,” he noted.