Report by Ben LARYEA
The Global Call to Action Against Poverty (GCAP) Ghana, a Civil Society Organisation (CSO) as part of the effort to create awareness on climate change and its devastating effects on communities and livelihoods have embarked on a campaign in some communities in Accra.
Speaking to the media on the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, dubbed “Cost of Living Crisis,” The National Coordinator of GCAP, Mr. Ben Lartey said the recent flood disasters in the country which destroyed livelihoods in communities across the country are climate-related catastrophes bringing to bear hardships and poverty on humanity.
He however urged stakeholders in the social protection space to develop the requisite and pragmatic policies to address cost-of-living crisis, increase funding for universal social protection, healthcare delivery, education, agriculture and other public services to make life comfortable for the citizenry.
The world, he said, is going through difficult times as a result of the geopolitical situation marked by continued wars and conflicts, rising inequalities, the impact of climate change, human rights violations which are deepening the cost of living for people and leads to hunger and deprivation.
He said climate change has badly affected millions of people, particularly those in low-income countries, rising sea levels, threats to agriculture due to unfavorable rainfall patterns, and adding that Ghana recently suffered a devastating flood in some parts of the country resulting to poverty and economic hardship.
“The implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) has not been fully achieved, and described the situation as lack of accountability of respective governments towards their commitment towards their global commitments”, he said.
In an interview, the Chairman of the Assorted Waste Alliance, Mr. Emmanuel Azumah Morgan, said his outfit deals in plastic waste, but due to the severe flooding, machines, tricycles and other logistics of the company have been badly damaged, therefore his business has virtually collapsed, reducing his workers from hundred to ten, leaving those affected into severe hardship.
Mr. Nicholas Della, an Auto Mechanic, appealed to the government to reduce taxes on imported vehicles and petroleum products, saying price hikes on these items have created difficulty for motorists to service and repair vehicles, saying the gesture has led to a drastic reduction in income and have affected livelihoods.
