Kumbumgu (N/R), Nov. 10, GNA - Implementing agencies of the Ghana Poverty Reduction Strategy (GPRS), have been urged to map out the pockets of poverty in the communities to assist the government and NGOs to mobilise resources to bring the poor into the wealth creation cycle. Mr Charles Bintim, Deputy Northern Regional Minister made the call at a five-day workshop on: "Poverty Profiling and Pro-poor training" at Kumbungu in the Tolon/Kumbungu District on Monday.

Mr Bintim noted that poor targeting of poverty reduction initiatives and the inability to explore and utilise the potential of the poor in adherence to the "need approach" are some of the problems, which "we need to address".

He explained that poor and ineffective programming and absence of reliable impact tracking and monitoring mechanism were defeating the GPRS objectives.

The Deputy Minister said statistics showed that 38 per cent of Ghanaians are still poor, while 70 per cent of the rural population did not have access to potable water and urged the district assemblies to channel their resources to mitigate poverty in their communities.

The Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development, the German Technical Cooperation Agency (GTZ) and the Social Investment Fund (SIF) jointly organised the workshop for District Coordinating Directors, District Planning Officers, District Officers of the Town and Country Planning Department and officials of the SIF, at Kumbungu.

The forum is expected to equip the participants with knowledge and skills to enable them to identify and formulate strategic pro-poor programmes that address specific short and long-term constraints that maintain the cycle of poverty in the districts.

The participants would treat topics on: "Understanding of poverty", "Future coping mechanisms", "Selection of sample communities for poverty profiling" and "Perception of poverty pockets".

Mr Alhassan Baako, Tolon-Kumbumgu District Chief Executive said the district was poverty endemic with limited access to social and economic infrastructural services, as well as high illiteracy rate and low school enrolment.

He said inadequate health facilities was impacting negatively on the lives of the people and called for interventions with a view to creating new opportunities for the communities to improve their social and economic well- being.

The DCE called for an effective targeting and linkage of poverty analysis with opportunities for alternative livelihoods at the local level and the strengthening of the development of district-based strategic response to poverty issues.